thesis in marine science

Home > Virginia Institute of Marine Science > SMSETD

School of Marine Science Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Considering Tidal Flooding to Provide a Holistic Approach to Nutrient Input Management , Mary Beth Armstrong

Projected Impacts Of Climate Change And Watershed Management On Carbonate Chemistry And Oyster Growth In A Coastal Plain Estuary , Catherine Czajka

Linking Fish Community Dynamics And Trophic Interactions With Ecological Processes On The Northeast Us Continental Shelf , James Gartland

From Rain Drops To Rivers: Unraveling Aridification's Influence On Coastal Stream Ecosystem Dynamics , Sean Kelly Kinard

Policy recommendations for tire additive 6PPD and its derivative 6PPD-Q , Ashley E. King

Numerical Modeling Of Coastal Sea Level Anomaly, Gulf Stream Slowdown, And Cross-Shelf Mixing In South Atlantic Bight During Hurricane Matthew , Breanna Maldonado

Accessibility and Inclusivity in Marine Science Education: A Suite of Collaborative Marine Science Lesson Plans , Amy Nicholson

Multi-Decadal Changes In Blue Crab Reproductive Ecology , Alexandra Kenyon Schneider

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Changing Foundation Species In The Chesapeake Bay: Implications For Faunal Communities Of Two Dominant Seagrass Species , Lauren Elizabeth Alvaro

Place-Based Estuary Science Education at Machicomoco State Park , Anna Caputo

Ecology Of Larval Fishes Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula: Climate-Change Impact, Taxonomy, Phenology, And Thermal Tolerance , Andrew Derik Corso

Succession Of The Late Summer Phytoplankton Blooms In The York River Estuary, Va , Heather Kathleen Corson

Chesapeake Bay Carbonate Cycle: Past, Present, And Future , Fei Da

Biotic And Abiotic Factors Associated With Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Constitutive Mixotroph Abundance And Proportion , Marcella Dobbertin da Costa

Quantification Of Poultry And Human Fecal Contamination In The Tidal Creeks Of The Virginia Eastern Shore Using A Multifaceted Edna Method , Abigail Renee Golder

Effects Of Environmental Stress From A Changing Climate On Populations Of Commercially Important Bivalves Along The Eastern Coast Of The United States , Anthony Robert Himes

Impacts And Uncertainties Of Climate Change On The Chesapeake Bay , Kyle E. Hinson

Achieving Equitable Offshore Wind Development: Lessons from European Stakeholders , Kacey Hirshfeld

Empirical Valuation Of Primary And Alternative Nursery Habitats For The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus In Chesapeake Bay , Alexander C. Hyman

Artificial Illumination Of Trawl Gear Components To Reduce Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus Stenolepis) Bycatch In The U.s. West Coast Groundfish Bottom Trawl Fishery , Derek Jackson

From field to shore: Policy improvements to better protect ecosystem and human health from poultry wastes in Virginia , Rachael A. King

Emerging Red Sore Disease Of American Eel (Anguilla Rostrata) In Chesapeake Bay: Etiology, Epidemiology, And Impacts In Aquaculture And The Wild , Amanpreet Kaur Kohli

Impacts Of Minuca Pugnax On Ecosystem Functioning In Its Historical And Expanded Range , Kayla Shanice Martinez-Soto

Mattanock Town Restoration Plan , Katlin McCarter Grigsby

Weaving a science story: Narratives and language as tools in the science classroom , Claudia Moncada

Impact Of Substrate Type On Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) Recruitment And Benthic Community Structure And Productivity In The York River , Jainita Patel

Exploring Pah Partitioning In Oysters Using Immunological Techniques , Kristen Madison Prossner

Linking Physiological Effects Of Environmental Stressors From Cellular To Whole-Organismal Levels In The Early-Life History Stages Of Crassostrea Virginica (Eastern Oyster) , Katherine Annie Schatz

Climate Impacts On Spatiotemporal Habitat Usage Of Mid-Atlantic Fishes , Adena Jade Schonfeld

Ecological Restoration Of The Native Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, To Chesapeake Bay , David Martin Schulte

Tracing Atlantic Sea Scallops Using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology , Will Shoup

Subsurface Structure And Impacts Of Marine Heatwaves In The Chesapeake Bay , Nathan P. Shunk

Ecosystem Transitions And State Changes Rapidly Alter The Coastal Carbon Landscape: Evidence From The Chesapeake Bay Region , Alexander Jason Smith

Identifying Factors Controlling Dinophysis Spp. Feeding, Growth, And Toxin Production Through Field And Lab Studies , Vanessa R. Strohm

Development of 3D and 360 GIS-Based Models to Visualize Projected Sea Level Rise in Coastal Virginia , Candice M. Vinson

Insight Into The Evolving Interactions Between Crassostrea Virginica And The Parasite Perkinsus Marinus , Elizabeth Faye Weatherup

Characterizing Changes In Participation And Diversification In Virginia's Small-Scale Commercial Fishing Industry , Shelby Brooke White

Comparing Low Salinity Transcriptomic Profiles Among Hard Clam, Mercenaria Mercenaria, Lines , Leslie Speight Youtsey

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Environmental Ecology And Life History Variation Of Perkinsus Marinus , Lydia M. Bienlien

Toward A Comprehensive Water Quality Model For The Chesapeake Bay Using Unstructured Grids , Xun Cai

Diel, Seasonal, And Interannual Changes In Coastal Antarctic Zooplankton Community Composition And Trophic Ecology , John A. Conroy

Across-Scale Energy Transfer In The Southern Ocean , Laur Ferris

Invertebrates In A Migrating Salt Marsh , Emily Marie Goetz

Improving Coastal Management Through Integrating Social-Ecological Assessments , Amanda Grace Guthrie

A Retrospective Analysis Of Atlantic Surfclam (Spisula Solidissima) Growth And Distribution In The Context Of A Changing Ocean , Alexis Hunter Hollander

Importance Of Muddy Bed Aggregate Processes In Cohesive Sediment Dynamics Associated With Sediment Management Projects , David Perkey

Environmental Justice in the Elizabeth River Watershed: Exploring the Utility of Environmental Justice Screening Tools , Julianna M. Ramirez

Exploring The Effects Of Microplastics On Marine Biota , Meredith Evans Seeley

The Role Of Zooplankton Community Composition In Fecal Pellet Carbon Production In The York River Estuary, Chesapeake Bay , Kristen Nicole Sharpe

Barrier-Island Dynamics: Transgression, Regression, And State Changes , Justin Lee Shawler

Determining Drivers Of Spatio-Temporal Patterns Of Decapod Species In The Coastal Plain Region Of Texas , Alexander T. Solis

Physiological Condition And Recruitment Of Mytilus Edulis And Donax Variabilis On Virginia Barrier Islands , Taylor Walker

The Fate And Transport Of Nitrogen In Subterranean Estuaries , Stephanie J. Wilson

Spartina Alterniflora Defense Against Herbivory , Serina Sebilian Wittyngham

Feedbacks Among Benthic Metabolism, Nitrogen Cycling, And Intense Phytoplankton Blooms In The York River Estuary , Michelle H. Woods

Roles Of Hydrodynamics And Topographies On The Transport Of Dissolved Material, Particulates, And Harmful Algae In Chesapeake Bay , Jilian Xiong

Data-Driven Approaches For Water Quality Modeling In Coastal Systems , Xin Yu

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Sediment Transport And Trapping On The Ayeyarwady-Martaban Continental Shelf , Matthew Joshua Fair

Sediment And Terrestrial Organic Carbon Budgets For The Offshore Ayeyarwady Delta: Establishing A Baseline For Future Change , Evan Rose Flynn

Estuarine Microbiomes And Biogeochemistry: Impacts Of Spatiotemporal Variation, Algal Blooms, And Microplastics , Samantha Grace Fortin

Quantifying The Increased Resiliency Of Chesapeake Bay Hypoxia To Environmental Conditions: A Benefit Of Nutrient Reductions , Luke Thomas Frankel

Recruitment And Post-Settlement Mortality Of The Soft-Shell Clam, Mya Arenaria , Shantelle Landry

Stock Composition Of Striped Marlin (Kajikia Audax) In The Central North Pacific Ocean Inferred By Analyses Of Genome-Wide Molecular Markers , Jackson Martinez

A Quantitative Genetic Analysis Of Commercial Traits In Polyploid Crassostrea Virginica, With An Evaluation Of Strategies For Genetic Improvement Of Triploids , Joseph L. Matt

Dealing With Many Species: Improving Methodology For Forming And Assessing Species Complexes , Kristen Omori

Co-Occurring Hab Species And Phycotoxins: Interactions With Oysters , Sarah Krystal Desautels Pease

Improving Observation, Assessment, And Management Of Atlantic Coastal Sharks , Cassidy Dawn Peterson

Differential Nitrogen Uptake By Aquatic Communities In A Chesapeake Bay Tributary And In The Coastal Alaskan Arctic , Brianna Stanley

Water Clarity And Suspended Particle Dynamics In The Chesapeake Bay: Local Effects Of Oyster Aquaculture, Regional Effects Of Reduced Shoreline Erosion, And Long-Term Trends In Remotely Sensed Reflectance , Jessica Turner

Impact Of Canyon Upwelling And Downwelling In The Mid-Atlantic Bight , Haixing Wang

Controls On Estuarine Sediment Bed Erodibility: Insights From The York River Estuary , Cristin Lee Wright

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Inorganic Carbon Chemistry In East Antarctic Coastal Polynyas , Mar C. Arroyo

An Assessment Of The Population Genetic Structure And Evidence Of Multiple Paternity In Channeled Whelk, Busycotypus Canaliculatus, Along The Us Atlantic Coast , Samantha E. Askin

Efficacy And Unintended Outcomes Of Spatial Property Rights For Fisheries And Aquaculture Management In Chile And In Virginia, U.S.A. , Jennifer Beckensteiner

Studies On The Anatomy Of Teleosts , Katherine Elliott Bemis

Morphology and Systematics of Batrachoidiformes (Percomorphacea: Teleostei) , Diego Francisco Biston Vaz

Evaluating The Impacts Of Land Use And Climate Change On The Hydrology Of Headwater Wetlands In The Coastal Plain Of Virginia , Pamela Braff

The Role Of Suspended Sediment In Assessing Coastal Wetland Vulnerability , Daniel J. Coleman

Predicting the Impacts of Climate Change on the Sandbar Shark and Cobia , Daniel P. Crear

Impacts Of Fertilization On Salt Marsh Resilience: Altered By Location-Specific Drivers , Kenneth Michael Czapla

Investigating Economic Costs Of Derelict Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Pots And Preferred Mitigation Solutions In The Chesapeake Bay , James DelBene

Influence Of Suspended Particle Size And Composition On Particle Image Processing, Estuarine Floc Fractal Properties, And Resulting Estuarine Light Attenuation , Kelsey Fall

Effects Of Acidification And Salinity On Callinectes Sapidus, Mercenaria Mercenaria, And Their Interactions , Katherine Sara Longmire

Genetic And Morphological Assessment Of Population Structure Of The Clearnose Skate (Rostroraja Eglanteria) From The Western North Atlantic Ocean , Lindsey Noel Nelson

A Mechanistic Understanding of Range Expansion of Invasive Blue Catfish in the Chesapeake Bay Region , Vaskar Nepal

Cross-Scale Simulations: An Innovative Approach To Evaluate The Impacts Of Sea-Level Rise On Tidal Marsh Habitats , Mirtha Karinna Nunez

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Phycotoxins In Lower Chesapeake Bay: Method Development And Application , Michelle D. Onofrio

Recruitment Characteristics Of Juvenile Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) Across Recovery Periods, Year Classes, And Subestuaries Of The Chesapeake Bay , Olivia M. Phillips

Composition and Bioavailability of Effluent Dissolved Organic Nitrogen , Quinn Nicole Roberts

Population Structure Of The Hard Clam, Mercenaria Mercenaria, Along The East Coast Of North America , Ann Janette Ropp

The Epibiont-Host Interaction between Zoothamnium intermedium and Estuarine Copepods , Lucia S.L. Safi

The Impacts Of Acute Hypoxic Exposure And Other Concomitant Stressors On The Cardiorespiratory Physiology Of Coastal Elasmobranch Fishes , Gail Danielle Schwieterman

Search for Selection: Genomic, Transcriptomic, and Phenotypic Investigations of Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) , Jingwei Song

Temporal Variability In Cohesive Sediment Dynamics In A Partially Mixed Estuary, The York River Estuary, Virginia, Usa: A Numerical Study Developed From Observations , Danielle Tarpley

Environmental Controls On Pteropod Ecology And Physiology Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula , Patricia Susan Thibodeau

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Animal Waste and Antibiotic Impacts on Microbial Denitrification in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems , Miguel Albergaria Furtado Semedo

Satellites, Seagrass, and Blue Crabs: Understanding Inter-Annual Fluctuations and Linkages in the York River , Kristen Bachand

Seasonal Variability of the Co2-System Throughout the Chesapeake Bay Mainstem , Jaclyn Rain Friedman

Human Dimensions of a Participatory, Collaborative Modeling Process - Oysterfutures , Taylor Dawn Goelz

Page 1 of 12

• Collections
• Disciplines

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

Author Corner

About scholarworks.

• Honors Theses
• W&M Libraries
• VIMS Hargis Library
• W&M Law School Repository
• Research Guides

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

• Request info
• Majors & Degrees
• Prospective Students
• Current Undergraduate Students
• Current Graduate Students
• Online Students
• Alumni and Friends
• Faculty and Staff

School of Ocean Science and Engineering

Coastal Sciences — M.S. Theses

Page content, theses completed in the division of coastal sciences.

• Panyi, Apryle Interrelationships Among Monorchiid Trematodes with Special Emphasis on Some Northwestern Atlantic Genera . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Kevin Dillon.
• Fairweather, Edithrose Maturation Spawning and Larviculture of Atlantic Croaker ( Micropogonias undulatus ) at Low Salinity . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Eric Saillant.
• Murphy, Nickolas Vegetative Community and Health Assessment of a Constructed Juncus-Dominated Salt Marsh in The Northern Gulf Of Mexico . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Patrick Biber.
• Poussard, Leanne An Analysis of Dredge Efficiency for Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Commercial Dredges. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Eric Powell.
• Brock, Melissa The Effect of Historic Shipwrecks on Sediment Microbiomes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Leila Hamdan.
• Collins, Lillian Distribution, Abundance, and Trophic Ecology of Anguilliform Leptocephali in the Northern Gulf of Mexico . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Frank Hernandez.
• Morgan, Leah Early Recruitment of Crassostrea virginica to Restored and Natural Oyster Reefs in the Western Mississippi Sound: Larval Supply and Post-Settlement Success . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet Rakocinski.
• Mugge, Rachel The effect of spill contaminants on marine biofilms and microbially-induced corrosion of carbon steel . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Leila Hamden.
• Jermain, Nate Evaluating alternate management strategies for Spotted Seatrout ( Cynoscion nebulosus ) in the north-central Gulf of Mexico . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robert Leaf.
• Gigli, Eric The effects of salinity on zootechnical performance of Spotted Seatrout ( Cynoscion nebulosus ) in recirculating aquaculture systems . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Eric Saillant (Co-Research Director with Reg Blaylock).
• Johnson, Jeremy The Effects of Aqueous Atorvastatin on Steroidogenesis of Xenopus laevis at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Joe Griffitt.
• Hoover, Angela M.  Influence of natural and anthropogenic environmental variability on larval fish diet, growth, and condition in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor, Frank Hernandez.
• Kuhn, Abigail A. Effects of temperature on growth and molting in blue crabs ( Callinectes sapidus ) and lesser blue crabs ( Callinectes similis ). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: M. Zachary Darnell.
• Trigg III, Robert Examining movement dynamics of the Gulf Menhaden fishery using an individual-based model. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor, Robert Leaf.
• Simning, Danielle Impacts of oil exposure during early life development stages in Sheepshead Minnows ( Cyprinodon Variegatus ) under different environmental factors. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor, Joe Griffitt.
• Bennett, Alyssa Combined effects of dissolved oxygen and temperature on aerobic respiration and respiratory recovery responses of the spioniform polychaete, Streblospio gynobranchiata , in relation to body size. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor, Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Satterfield, Emily Reassessment of the Red drum stock in Mississippi coastal waters: The role of ages 3-5 year-class fish. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor, Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Yang, Yimu Detection, activity measurement and phylogeny of ureolytic bacteria isolated from elasmobranch tissue. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor, Jay Grimes.
• Kemberling, Adam Regional variation in migratory behavior and reproductive output of the Gulf of Mexico blue crab spawning stock. Master's Thesis. Major Professor, Zachary Darnell.
• Timbs, Jeremy R. Spatial Distribution and Stock-Recruitment Analysis of the Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima , in the Mid-Atlantic Bight and on Georges Bank. Master's Thesis. Major Professor, Eric Powell.
• Hardy, Tyler Coastal Wetland Dynamics Under Sea-level Rise and Wetland Restoration in the Northern Gulf of Mexico using Bayesian Multilevel Models and A Web Tool. Major Professor, Wei Wu.
• Shakeri, Lennah Linkages between marsh fragmentation, prey availability, and blue crab ( Callinectes sapidus ) abundance and mortality. Major Professor: Zachary Darnell.
• Bennetts, Corbin Life-history characteristics and fishery dynamics of Red Drum ( Sciaenops ocellatus ) in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. Major Professor: Robert T. Leaf.
• Fleming, Chris Spatial variability of basal resources and trophic position of selected fishes of the north-central Gulf of Mexico: a stable isotope approach. Major Professor: Kevin Dillon.
• Daley, Taylor Growth and reproduction of Atlantic Chub Mackerel ( Scomber colias ) in the northwest Atlantic. Major Professor: Robert T. Leaf.
• Doucette, Kaitlin The elasmobranch-microbe relationship: Trimethylamine n-oxide synthesis, urea hydrolysis, and microbe-osmolyte interactions in the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor, Jay Grimes.
• Adams, Grant Environmentally-driven variation in the population dynamics of Gulf Menhaden ( Brevoortia patronus ). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor, Robert Leaf
• Pace, Sara M. Evidence of multidecadal recruitment in the Ocean Quahog,  Arctica islandica  in the western Atlantic Ocean. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Eric Powell.
• Bailey, Danielle E. Characterization of adrenocortical tissue morphology, histology, and steroid synthesis among Finetooth ( Carcharhinus isodon ), Blacktip ( Carcharhinus limbatus ), Atlantic Sharpnose ( Rhizoprionodon terraenovae ), and Bonnethead ( Sphyrna tiburo ) sharks. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Frank Hernandez Jr.
• Fogg, Alexander Q. Life-history of non-native Red Lionfish ( Pterois volitans ) in the northern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Kevin S. Dillon (Research Director: Mark S. Peterson).
• Moncreif, Trevor Age, growth and reproduction of Vermillion Snapper ( Rhomboplites aurorubens ) in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Kuykendall, Kelsey Michelle Management strategy evaluation for the Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima , using a fisheries economics model. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Eric N. Powell.
• Gillam, Patrick D. Community structure and production of the macrobenthos on four artificial reefs in the Mississippi Sound in relation to substrate and profile type. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Norrell, Adrienne Development of genomic resources for the evaluation of Red Snapper, an emerging species candidate for marine aquaculture and stock enhancement. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Eric A. Saillant.
• Vick, Page E. Gulf Sturgeon ( Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi ) pre-restoration occupancy patterns on Ship Island, Mississippi Sound with an evaluation of designated critical habitat use by eastern and western population segments. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Corey, Morgan M. Growth and reproduction of Southern Flounder ( Paralichthyes lethostigma ) in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robert T. Leaf.
• Dippold, David A. Fishery and population dynamics of Mississippi’s Spotted Seatrout. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robert T. Leaf.
• Higgs, Jeremy Age, growth, reproduction, and diet of the Finetooth Shark, Carcharhinus isodon , in the northern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski (Research Director: Eric Hoffmayer).
• Ransom, John T. Deepwater Horizon impacts on the diet, growth, and condition of larval Spanish Mackerel ( Scomberomorus maculatus ). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Frank Hernandez.
• Green, Jennifer Lynne Habitat selection of Gulf-strain Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis : Relationships to dynamic abiotic characteristics within the Biloxi River, MS. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Gaines, Leah Corrine Observations on the life history of the Bayou Killifish Fundulus pulvereus (Evermann 1899) in Mississippi tidal marshes. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• Guest, Taylor Westbrook Effects of pre-release physical stressors on post-release success of hatchery- reared Spotted Seatrout. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Andrew Evans (Research Director: Reg Blaylock).
• Odom, Allison Renee Analyses of indices of abundance for important groundfish species in the northern Gulf of Mexico from 1987-2009, relative to shrimp bycatch; with age and growth of three sciaenid species. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski (Research Director: Richard S. Fulford).
• Taylor, Stephanie M. Ichthyoplankton composition in the Loop Current and Sargassum habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robert T. Leaf.
• Matten, Claire Louise Resident benthic fishes of artificial reefs in the Mississippi Sound: Effects of habitat relief and subregion. M.S. Thesis. Major Profesor: Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Manley, Christopher Burton The effects of stocking density and feeding frequency on aggressive and cannibalistic behaviors in larval hatchery-reared Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski (Research Director: Reg Blaylock).
• Knight, Carley Rain Taxonomy, diversity, and distribution patterns of portunid crab megalopae in the northern Gulf of Mexico during fall of 2003 M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Allen, Joshua Michael Characterization of rain and stormwater nitrogen inputs to the Mississippi Sound: A landscape approach. M.S. Thesis. Major Profesor: Kevin S. Dillon.
• Barnes, Brinton Thomas Seasonal differences in diet of two predatory fishes in relation to reef type in the inshore northern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Profesor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Lambert, Faith Exploring the glucocorticoid actions of 1alpha-hydroxycorticosterone in the elasmobranch fishes. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Andrew Evans.
• Hedgpeth, Bryan Matthew Response of CYP1A and VEGF in Sheepshead Minnow ( Cyprinodon variegatus ) when exposed to source/dispersed oil and hypoxia. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robert J. Griffitt.
• Wilking, Lynn Elizabeth Assessing respiration rates and nutrient dynamics of artificial reef biofilms and bacterioplankton in the Mississippi Sound. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Kevin S. Dillon.
• Newman, Cher Marie Age, growth, mortality, and the effects of trawling on mortality of the Longspine Porgy, Stenotomus caprinus .  M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Sibuea, Agustina Kristiani A comparison of yellow head virus epidemic models in Litopenaeus vannamei and Litopenaeus setiferus . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.
• Somerset, Carly Renee Development of a genetic monitoring program for stock enhancement of Mississippi Spotted Seatrout ( Cynoscion nebulosus ). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Eric A. Saillant.
• Mazzei, Viviana Primary productivity on artificial reefs in the Mississippi Sound estimated from settlement plate measurements. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Patrick D. Biber.
• Berutti, Tracy Rene Variations of Vibrio populations in Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei , aquaculture raceways. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Darrell J. Grimes.
• Ennis, Bradley Michael Nekton habitat use patterns along an intertidal gradient in micro-tidal saltmarshes. M.S. Thesis. Major Profesor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Francis, John Henry Carbon and nitrogen dynamics in high intensity minimal exchange shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei ) raceways.  M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Kevin S. Dillon.
• Salamone, Amy Leigh Fungal biofilm colonization and succession on artificial reefs in the north- central Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Darrell J. Grimes.
• Griffitt, Kimberly Jordan Improved detection methods for selected Vibrio species in the marine aquatic environment. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Darrell J. Grimes.
• Brewton, Rachel Aileen Gene expression and growth as indicators of effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Cynoscion nebulosus  M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robert J. Griffitt (Research Director: Richard S. Fulford).
• Clardy, Samuel Dee Life history of the Southern Kingfish, Menticirrhus americanus , from the north-central Gulf of Mexico M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Menke, Daneen Paulette Evaluating macrobenthic indicators of organic enrichment and hypoxia within the coastal Mississippi hypoxic zone. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Olsen, Zachary Thomas Determining the trophic role of Gulf Menhaden ( Brevoortia patronus ) using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Kevin S. Dillon (Research Director: Richard S. Fulford).
• Frey, Jennifer W. Sub-pixel classification of historical and current marsh habitat for the eastern Mississippi Gulf coast using remotely sensed images. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Wei Wu.
• McBride, Kathryn Rondot Mycorrhizal colonization of native salt marsh plants on Mississippi's Gulf coast and the effects of commercial mycorrhizal inoculants on nursery- grown plants. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski (Research Director: Jinx Campbell).
• Tilley, Jason Daniel Early life history of Prognichtys occidentalis and Caranx crysos associated with Sargassum habitat in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Bruce H. Comyns.
• Gibson, Dyan Patricia The effect of the chemical composition of low salinity water on the growth, development, and survival of cultured juvenile blue crabs. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard S. Fulford.
• Anderson, Corey Robert Thermal tolerance of age-0 Gulf of Mexico Striped Bass ( Morone saxatilis ): Ontogenetic and genetic effects. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Eric A. Saillant.
• Boube Idrissa, Idrissa Identification of trancriptomic pathways involved in Taura Syndrome Virus resistance in Litopenaeus vannamei. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robert J. Griffitt.
• Carpenter, Katie Grace Examining the bioavailability of dissolved organic matter and inorganic nutrients to heterotrophic bacteria in Mississippi coastal waters. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Kevin S. Dillon.
• McKinney, Jennifer Ann Spatial analysis of Whale Shark Rhincodon typus distribution in the northern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard S. Fulford (Research Director: Eric Hoffmayer).
• Dieterich, Jay William A spatially explicit bioenergetics model of habitat suitability for Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis , in the Biloxi Bay estuary and tributaries, Mississippi. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard S. Fulford.
• Havrylkoff, Jeanne-Marie Dawn Gulf sturgeon of the Pascagoula: Post-Katrina assessment of seasonal usage of the lower estuary. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Lang, Eric L. Reproductive life history of  Fundulus jenkinsi  and comparative development of five sympatric fundulid species. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Littleton, Lauren A. Differences in feeding performance between hatchery-reared and wild juvenile Spotted Seatrout  Cynoscion nebulosus . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski (Research Director: Reg Blaylock).
• Anderson, Evan John  Early life history of the three kingfish ( Menticirrhus ) species found in coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Bruce H. Comyns.
• Dangre, Arati  Mechanism of interaction between cadmium and hypoxia in larval Cyprinodon variegatus . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Marius Brouwer.
• Lopez, John Daniel Characterization of habitat, abundance, distribution and perspectives of Fundulus jenkinsi  (Saltmarsh Topminnow) life history in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Rocker, Jana Moerbe  Comparison of the intra-host quasispecies of Taura Syndrome Virus in acute and chronic infections in Litopenaeus vannamei.  M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.
• Wagner, Jonathan Evaluation of internal tag performance in hatchery-reared juvenile Spotted Seatrout,  Cynoscion nebulosus. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz (Research Director: Reg Blaylock).
• Ballard, James Robert  Effect of crowding density on the growth and survival of Cobia,  Rachycentron canadum , in a recirculating aquaculture system. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.
• Cook, Joshua O.  Transmission and occurrence of Dermomycoides sp. in  Rana sevosa  and other ranids in the north central Gulf of Mexico states. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.
• de la Calzada, Rey  Comparison of white spot syndrome virus LD50s in  Litopenaeus vannamei  and  Farfantepenaeus duorarum . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.
• Dennis, Darcie J.  Fecundity and egg diameter of primiparoius and multiparous blue crab Callinectes sapidus in Mississippi waters. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Patricia Biesiot (Research Director: Harriet M. Perry).
• Grammer, Paul O.  Cohort growth dynamics of the Bay Anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli, in the northern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Bruce H. Comyns.
• Pratt-Zossoungbo, Melissa  Mycorrhizal fungal associations with salt marsh species  Juncus roemerianus,  Spartina alterniflora, Schoenoplectus robustus, and Schoenoplectus americanus. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Patrick D. Biber.
• Siegel, Jeffrey Wade  Stranding trends of beach cast Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncates ) in Mississippi Sound and adjacent waters.  M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.
• Tremonte, Jocelyn Marie Warner The effects of temperature on Taura syndrome virus (TSV) infections in  Litopenaeus vannamei . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.
• Turner, Sarah Elizabeth   Trophic relations of juvenile Gray Triggerfish ( Balistes capriscus ) and Planehead Filefish ( Stephanolepis hispidus ) within Sargassum habitat in the north central Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Apeitos, Angelos  Fecundity and survival of the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa fed  Isochrysis galbana  (Tahitian strain) and  Chaetoceros mulleri. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.
• Guynn, Kimberly Claire  A review of mercury in fishes with a detailed treatment of mercury in the Patagonian Toothfish, Dissostichus eleginoides  Smitt 1898, among three distinct ocean basins. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Shelley, John Paul  The effect of salinity on the bioenergetics of the young-of-the-year Atlantic Stingray,  Dasyatis sabina (Lesuer). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Bruce H. Comyns (Research Director: Eric Hoffmayer).
• Walker, Allison Kennedy  Assessment of fungal diversity of gulf coast saltmarshes and seagrass beds using morphological, molecular and biochemical methods. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jinx Campbell.
• Ferguson, Heather Joy  Comparison of subtidal and intertidal macrobenthic communities between created and natural marshes in the Davis Bayou, Mississippi. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski
• Hendon, Laura Ann  Cross-talk between pyrene and hypoxia signaling pathways in embryonic  Cyprinodon variegatus. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Maurius Brouwer.
• Holden, Samantha Gayle  Early life history of Greater Amberjack ( Seriola cumerili ), Lesser Amberjack ( Seriola fasciata ), Almaco Jack ( Seriola rivoliana ) and Banded Rudderfish ( Seriola zonata ) associated with Sargassum habitat in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Bruce H. Comyns.
• McDonald, Jennifer Lynn Habitat characteristics and reproductive behavior of introduced Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus)) in coastal Mississippi: Interactions with native centrarchid species: Tilapia nilotica. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Thoma, Brent Patrick Gammarus mucronatus  species complex in the northern Gulf of Mexico: ecophonotypic plasticity or distinct species? M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• Thoma, Jana Nell Review of the Epicaridea (Isopoda) of the South Atlantic Bight, with descriptions of two new species: M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• Larsen, Kirstein Marie Utilization of nonvegetated bottom and marsh edge habitats in western Mississippi Sound by brown shrimp, Farfantenpenaeus aztecus , and associated faunal assemblages.  M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Patricia Biesiot (Research Director: Harriet M. Perry).
• Knight, Julianne Descriptions of four new species and a new genus belonging to the family Apseudidae (Crustacea: Peracarida: Tanaidacea) from New Zealand Marine Waters. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• Partyka, Melissa L. Salt marsh communities in an anthropogenic landscape: habitat characteristics, distribution, and density of infauna, epifauna and nekton along an estuarine gradient. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Phillips, Andrea  Investigating  Vibrio parahaemolyticus  incidence in Gulf Coast water and underlying oysters ( Crassostrea virginica ) using remote sensing: A comparative study of archived and real-time data for risk assessment. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Darrell J. Grimes.
• Vivian, Deborah Nicole Examining habitat function of a restored salt marsh using post-larval Gulf Killifish ( Fundulus grandis Baird and Girard). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Wells, Tami Maureen   M.S. - Hyperspectral remote sensing of noxious aquatic plant species in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, Alabama. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson (Research Director: Gregory A. Carter).
• Bakenhaster, Micah Daniel  External morphological features of mancas of four parasitic isopod species ( Cymothoidae ) in the northern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• Jones, Cheryl Lynn Taylor  Hydrocarbon transport in Keegan Bayou, Biloxi, MS, using coprostanol as a tracer. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Julia S. Lytle.
• Lezina, Brian Joseph  Life history of the Gulf Toadfish,  Opsanus beta , in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Nickels, Barbara Rose Light and electron microscope studies of a haplosporidian infection in the Florida marshclam, Cyrenoida floridana . M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• Pelleteri, Sara T  Tanaidmorpha ( Crustacea: Malacostraca ) of Hawaii. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• Vervaeke, William Chesley  Stage-structured, predator/prey interactions between seasonal transients and permanent residents of an estuary. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Waggy, Gretchen L.  Life history of the Silver Perch, Bairdiella chrysoura Lacepède in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Chiluiza, David  Development of the digestive system in cultured larvae of Red Snapper ( Lutjanus campechanus ). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: William Hawkins.
• Zimmerman, Jacqueline Kathleen  Salinity tolerance of Red Snapper ( Lutjanus campechanus ) eggs and larvae. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffery M. Lotz.
• Bleich, Matthew Daniel  Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Prionotus (Teleostei: Triglidae), with an emphasis on the northern Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Stuart Poss.
• Bullard, Stephen Ashton  Blood flukes ( Digenea: Sanguinicolidae ) from commercially and recreationally important fishes in the Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.
• Crochet, Nicole Marie  Investigations of flyingfish larvae ( Exocoetidae ) in the western central Atlantic: Identification, distribution and abundance, and developmental descriptions of  Prognichthys occidentalis. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Bruce H. Comyns.
• Flowers, Charles Harry, Jr.  Evaluation of host potential of the blue crab ( Callinectes sapidus ) for white spot syndrome virus: susceptibility, pathogenicity, and transmission. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffery M. Lotz.
• Krol, Rena Pathobiology of white spot virus (WSV) in diverse crustaceans from the United States. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.
• Opel, Nicole Merree  Assessment of genetic variation among and within populations of shoalgrass ( Halodule wrightii ) in the northern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis, Major Professor: Cynthia A. Moncrieff.
• Salazar Anton, Lesber  The effect of chronic Taura syndrome virus (TSV) infections on stress tolerance and development of a semi-quantitative infectivity assay for white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in the white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffery M. Lotz.
• Wheeler, Kersten N.  Feedings habits of juvenile Florida Pompano ( Trachinotus carolinus ) from northern Gulf of Mexico barrier island beaches. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• Zapfe, Glenn A.  Effects of marsh access on the feeding success and growth of juvenile Spot,  Leiostomus xanthurus. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Henderson, Tammie Sue The analysis of a putative complement-related serine protease sequence in Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Kenneth C. Stuck.
• Garber, Amber Frances  Utilization of a hypervariable region as a molecular marker for Red Snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, stock enhancement. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Kenneth C. Stuck.
• Lemus, Jason Thomas  Development of a protocol for the mass production of copepods. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffery M. Lotz.
• Vincent, Dena Greene  The influence of pollution stress on the growth of juvenile fishes and the evaluation of associated bioassessment techniques. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Woodley, Christa Myranne  Measurement of increased predation threat using behavioral and physiological metrics: Implications for aquatic habitat loss in estuarine ecosystems. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Shervette, Virginia Rhea Do stone crabs need public housing?: testing the refuge limitation hypothesis for Menippe adina juveniles in the Mississippi Sound. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Patricia Biesiot (Research Director: Harriet M. Perry).
• Aguirre Maldonado, Windsor Efren  Phylogenetic vs. ecophenotypic influences on interspecific variability of sagittae in the genera Cynoscion  and  Isopisthus  (Teleostei: Sciaenidae). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Stuart Poss.
• Camp, Kenneth Russell  Biochemical composition of Red Snapper  Lutjanus campechanus  during ontogeny. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffery M. Lotz.
• Carroll, Suzanne Nichole nee Gronen  Effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on development of reproductive organs and reproductive function in the teleost fish  Oryzias latipe s. M.S. Thesis, Marine Science. Major Professor: Marius Brouwer.
• Hendrix, Glenn Michael Mitochondrial DNA markers for the identification of early life stages of  Paralichthys lethostigma , Paralichthys albigutta, and  Paralichthys squamilentus  (Pisces, Paralichthyidae). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Kenneth C. Stuck.
• Karels, Arthur Alan  Reproductive effects of estrogenic and antiestrogenic chemicals on Sheepshead Minnow ( Cyprinodon variegatus ), along with partial isolation and sequence of its estrogen receptor. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Marius Brouwer.
• Moore, Anne Marie  Effect of temperature on infectivity of Taura syndrome virus in  Litopenaeus vannamei  and comparison of three reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocols for detecting Taura syndrome virus. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Jeffery M. Lotz.
• Pederson, Eric John  Bryozoa as an ephemeral estuarine habitat used by invertebrates and young fishes. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Smedley, Kristy Louise  Life histories and taxonomy of some members of Monorchiidae (Digenea). M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.
• Syring, Rachel Ann  The role of blue crab,  Callinectes sapidus , metallothioneins in metal metabolism and detoxification of heavy metals and the crab’s potential as a bioindicator of trace metals in the estuarine environment. M.S. Thesis. Major Professor: Marius Brouwer.
• Bond, Pamela A. Comparative early life histories of Scombrids in the north central Gulf of Mexico. M.S. Thesis, Marine Science. Major Professor: Donald Redalje (Research Director: Bruce H. Comyns).
• Blackburn, Brett Ramey The effects of industrial and cultural development on phytoplankton community dynamics within three bayou systems of Jackson County, Mississippi. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Cynthia A. Moncreiff.
• Cote, Janet  Prey selection by juvenile crabs, Callinectes sapidus between two micrograzing gastropods, Astyris lunata and  Bittiolum varium , within estuarine seagrass habitat. M.S. Thesis, Marine Science. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard (Research Director: Chet F. Rakocinski).
• Garber, Nikola Marie  Application of the mitochondrial DNA control region in population structure studies of  Mugil cephalus (Striped Mullet) in North America. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Kenneth C. Stuck.
• Abney, Michael Alan  Phenotypic plasticity in the life history traits of  Gambusi puncticulata puncticulata  (Poeciliidae) from the Cayman Islands, BWI. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.
• Hendon, Joseph Read  Spatial and temporal distribution of gobiid fishes along natural and altered marsh-edge habitats. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Snyder, Douglas J Life history of a peripheral population of Bluespotted Sunfish, Enneacanthus gloriosus in southern Mississippi. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Al Shaqsy, Hilal Mohammed  Recruitment of early juvenile  Micropogonias undulatus, Leiostomus xanthurus, Cynoscion arenarius , and  Cynoscion nebulosus  into Mississippi Sound: Seasonal and long-term patterns. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Thomas D. McIlwain (Research Director: Mark S. Peterson).
• VanderKooy, Katherine Elaine  Feeding habits of three coastal sunfishes ( Lepomis spp. ) in an estuarine bayou. M.S. Thesis, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard (Research Director: Chet F. Rakocinski).

Seminar Series

Job Opportunities

School%20of%20Ocean%20Science%20and%20Engineering

 Email soseFREEMississippi

Phone 228.214.3299

• USF Research
• USF Libraries

Digital Commons @ USF > College of Marine Science > Theses and Dissertations

Marine Science Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2016 2016.

Pollutants and Foraminiferal Assemblages in Torrecillas Lagoon: An Environmental Micropaleontology Approach , Michael Martinez-Colon

An Ecosystem-Based Approach to Reef Fish Management in the Gulf of Mexico , Michelle D. Masi

Photic Stress in Symbiont-Bearing Reef Organisms: Analyses of Photosynthetic Performance , Natasha Mendez-Ferrer

A Habitat Analysis of Estuarine Fishes and Invertebrates, with Observations on the Effects of Habitat-Factor Resolution , Brianna Michaud

Evaluation of Search and Rescue Planning Tools on the West Florida Shelf , Benjamin O'loughlin

West Florida Shelf Connectivity: An Exploratory Study , Amanda Sue Reinert

An Early Paleogene Palynological Assemblage from the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica: New Species and Implications for Depositional History , Catherine Davies Smith

Pepper Mild Mottle Virus as a Surrogate for Enteric Viruses: Implications for Assessing Water Quality , Erin Michelle Symonds

Novel Techniques in Chemical Ecology to Examine Life Histories in Fishes , Orian Tzadik

Influence of Water Quality on Stony Coral Diversity and Net Community Productivity in the Florida Keys , María Vega-Rodriguez

Acropora Habitat Evaluation and Restoration Site Selection Using a Species Distribution Modeling Approach , Katherine Wirt Ames

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Development of a Fluorescence-based Reverse Flow Injection Analysis (rFIA) Method for Quantifying Ammonium at Nanomolar Concentrations in Oligotrophic Seawater , William Abbott

Vulnerability of Larval Fish Populations to Oil Well Blowouts in the Northern Gulf of Mexico , Emily Chancellor

Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds: Measurement in Tampa Bay, Removal from Sewage and Development of an Estrogen Receptor Model , Monica Mion Cook

Influence of Water Column Stratification and Nutrient Gradients on the Migratory Behavior of the Red Tide Dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis , Matthew Garrett

Millennial-scale Variability of a Major East Antarctic Outlet Glacier during the Last Glaciation , Michelle Guitard

Ocean Forcing of Quaternary East Antarctic Ice Sheet Evolution: An Ice-Proximal Sedimentary Perspective , Michelle E. Guitard

Population Dynamics of the Little Gulper Shark (Centrophorus uyato) and Community Analyses of Elasmobranch Species in the Northern Gulf of Mexico , Jacquelin Joye Hipes

Comparison of Otolith-Based Growth Rates and Microchemistry in Red Drum Before, During, and After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill , Brock Charles Houston

Comparison of Isotope-Based Biomass Pathways with Groundfish Community Structure in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico , Sheri Ann Huelster

A Study on the Integration of Multivariate MetOcean, Ocean Circulation, and Trajectory Modeling Data with Static Geographic Information Systems for Better Marine Resources Management and Protection During Coastal Oil Spill Response – A Case Study and Gap Analysis on Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Tidal Inlets , Richard Ray Knudsen

Historical and Current Population Patterns of the Staghorn Coral (_Acropora cervicornis_) in Dry Tortugas National Park , Kaitlyn Lizza

Understanding Climate Change and Sea Level: A Case Study of Middle School Student Comprehension and An Evaluation of Tide Gauges off the Panama Canal in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea , Juan Carlos Millan-Otoya

Dissolved Nutrient Distributions in the Gulf of Mexico Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill , Ashley Ann Parks

Insights into the Challenges of Modeling the Atmospheric Boundary Layer , Esa-Matti Tastula

Field Observations and Novel Methodologies for Carbon System Assessments in Coastal Waters , Bo Yang

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Dynamics and Survival of Coral and Octocoral Juveniles following Disturbance on Patch Reefs of the Florida Reef Tract , Lucy Bartlett

A Multi-Scale Approach to Study Predator-Prey Interactions and Habitat Use of Pinfish, Lagodon rhomboids , Dinorah Helena Chacin

Cloning and Characterization of IL-1β, IL-8, IL-10, and TNFα from Golden Tilefish ( Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps ) and Red Snapper ( Lutjanus campechanus ) , Kristina L. Deak

Distribution of Dissolved Trace Metals and Carbon System Parameters in the Surface Waters of the Hillsborough River and Tampa Bay , Matthew Matthias Elliott

Influence of Diet on Element Incorporation in the Shells of Two Bivalve Molluscs: Argopecten irradians concentricus and Mercenaria mercenaria , William Noland Elsaesser

Marine Viral Diversity and Spatiotemporal Variability , Dawn Goldsmith

Use of a Towed Camera System for Estimating Reef Fish Populations Densities on the West Florida Shelf , Sarah Elizabeth Grasty

Karenia brevis harmful algal blooms: Their role in structuring the organismal community on the West Florida Shelf , Alisha Marie Gray

Variability in the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Larval Scombrid Abundance in the Gulf of Mexico , Sennai Y. Habtes

Assessments of surface-pelagic drift communities and behavior of early juvenile sea turtles in the northern Gulf of Mexico , Robert F. Hardy

Growth Rates in Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper, Lutjanus campechanus , Before and After the Deepwater Horizon Blowout , Elizabeth Shea Herdter

Epibenthic Mobile Invertebrates along the Florida Reef Tract: Diversity and Community Structure , Kristin Netchy

Improving Spectrophotometric Carbon System Measurements , Mark Patsavas

Investigations of the Physical and Analytical Chemistry of Iron in Aqueous Solutions , James Patten

Using Otolith Elemental Composition to Track the Habitat Use, Movements, and Life History Patterns of Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) and Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) in the Tampa Bay Estuary , Holly Jacqueline Rolls

Ontogenetic Diet Shifts and Prey Preference of a Generalist Predatory Fish , Brittany Jalene Scharf

Exploring Variability in Population Dynamics and the Influence of Environmental Factors on Recruitment of an Estuarine Fish , Elizabeth Herdter Smith

Timing of Svalbard/Barents Sea Ice Sheet Decay during the Last Glacial Termination , Tasha Snow

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites as a Biomarker of Exposure to Oil in Demersal Fishes Following the Deepwater Horizon Blowout , Susan Susan Snyder

RNA Detection Technology for Applications in Marine Science: Microbes to Fish , Robert Michael Ulrich

Developing an In-season Predictor of Commercial Landings for Quota Monitoring in the U.S. Virgin Islands , Mary Janine Vara

Spatial and Temporal Extent of a Subsurface Hydrocarbon Intrusion Following the Deepwater Horizon Blowout , Kathleen Watson

A Multi-Proxy Approach to Understanding Abrupt Climate Change and Laurentide Ice Sheet Melting History Based on Gulf of Mexico Sediments , Clare Carlisle Williams

Eukaryotic Gene Expression Patterns of Microorganisms in the Amazon River Plume Parallel the Biogeochemistry of Plume Waters , Brian L. Zielinski

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Investigation of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) Optical Properties, Nutrients, and Salinity in Coastal Florida: Springshed to Estuaries , Ana Rosa Arellano

The Combined Effects of Light and Temperature on Coral Bleaching: A Case Study of the Florida Reef Tract Using Satellite Data , Brian Burnel Barnes

The Spectrophotometric Analysis of Lead Carbonate Complexation and Carbonate Saturation States in Seawater , Regina Anita Easley

Hearing and Echolocation in Stranded and Captive Odontocete Cetaceans , Danielle Greenhow

Investigation of Condition Effects on Batch Fecundity of the Common Snook, Centropomus undecimalis, in Tampa Bay, Florida , Catherine Michelle Bruger Hayslip

Metabolism in corals from Antarctica, the deep-sea, and the shallow subtropics: contrasts in temperature, depth, and light , Lara Henry

Understanding Transport Variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current Using Ocean Bottom Pressure , Jessica Makowski

Biochemical Aspects of the Thermal Sensitivity and Energy Balance of Polar, Tropical and Subtropical Teleosts , Eloy Martinez

Development of novel nano-composite membranes as introduction systems for mass spectrometers: Contrasting nano-composite membranes and conventional inlet systems , Luis Miranda

Structure and Function of Pinniped Vibrissae , Christin Taylor Murphy

Impacts of the Anomalous Mississippi River Discharge and Diversions on Phytoplankton Blooming in Northeastern Gulf of Mexico , Brendan O'connor

Gradients in Season, Latitude, and Sea Ice: Their Effect on Metabolism and Stable Isotopic Composition of Antarctic Micronekton , Erica H. Ombres

Light-Environment Controls and Basal Resource Use of Planktonic and Benthic Primary Production , Kara Radabaugh

Relative Survival of Gags Mycteroperca microlepis Released Within a Recreational Hook-and-Line Fishery: Application of the Cox Regression Model to Control for Heterogeneity in a Large-Scale Mark-Recapture Study , Beverly J. Sauls

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Sediments within the Hillsborough Bay Watershed , Candice Simmons

Harmful Algal Blooms of the West Florida Shelf and Campeche Bank: Visualization and Quantification using Remote Sensing Methods , Inia Mariel Soto Ramos

Investigations for utilizing pteropods as bioindicators of environmental change along the western Antarctic Peninsula , Paul Mark Suprenand

Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Thermal Stress in Archaias angulatus (Class Foraminifera) , Heidi M. Toomey

Use of Stable Isotope and Trace Metal Signatures to Track the Emigration of Female Blue Crabs, Callinectes sapidus, from Tampa Bay , Sky Barrington Williams

Synoptic to interannual variability in volumetric flushing in Tampa Bay, FL using observational data and a numerical model , Monica Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

An Ecological Assessment of a Juvenile Estuarine Sportfish, Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis), in a Tidal Tributary of Tampa Bay, Florida , Adam Benjamin Brame

A CTD Biotag for Mid-sized Marine Predators , Heather Broadbent

Production of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites by Florida Harmful Bloom Dinoflagellates Karenia brevis and Pyrodinium bahamense , Cheska Burleson

Florida Fishery-Wide Reproductive Indices of Stone Crab, Menippe mercenaria, and Their Application to Stock Assessment and Management , Claire Elizabeth Crowley

Evidence for Viral Infection in the Copepods Labidocera aestiva and Acartia tonsa in Tampa Bay, Florida , Darren Stephenson Dunlap

Compound-Specific Stable Isotopic Analysis of Protein Amino Acids: Ecological Applications in Modern and Ancient Systems , Greg Ellis

Thermal Determinants of Nest Site Selection in Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Caretta caretta, at Casey Key, Florida , Lindsey Nicole Flynn

Assessment of Diver Impact During the Spiny Lobster Sport Season, Florida Keys, USA , Mark Lewis Hartman

Remote Sensing of Whitings in the Bahamas , Ryan Allen Lloyd

Sediment transport and distribution over continental shelves: a glimpse at two different river-influenced systems, the Cariaco Basin and the Amazon Shelf. , Laura Lorenzoni

A Study of the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in Tampa Bay: Effects of Perkinsus marinus on Reproduction and Condition , Bridgit Melora Mccrickard

Occurrence, Toxicity, and Diversity of Pseudo-nitzschia in Florida Coastal Waters , Sheila O'dea

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Remotely Sensed Ocean Color Parameters in Coral Reef Regions , Daniel Brooks Otis

Micronekton and Macrozooplankton of the Western Antarctic Peninsula and the Eastern Ross Sea: Contrast Between Two Different Thermal Regimes , Melanie Leigh Parker

Responses to Chemical Exposure by Foraminifera: Distinguishing Dormancy From Mortality , Benjamin James Ross

On the spatial and temporal variability of upwelling in the southern Caribbean Sea and its influence on the ecology of phytoplankton and of the Spanish sardine (Sardinella aurita) , Digna Tibisay Rueda-Roa

Optical Detection and Classification of Phytoplankton Taxa through Spectral Analysis , Daniel Tyler Sensi

Dolphin Sound Production and Distribution on the West Florida Shelf , Peter Simard

Sea surface height: A versatile climate variable for investigations of decadal change , Philip Robert Thompson

Shelf-scale Mapping of Fish Distribution Using Active and Passive Acoustics , Carrie Christy Wall

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Influence of Temperature on Yolk Resorption by Centropomus undecimalis Larvae , Claudia Catalina Baron-Aguilar

Initial Ablation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet Based on Gulf of Mexico Sediments , Elizabeth A. Brown

Taxonomy and Geochemistry of the Globigerinoides ruber-elongatus Plexus, with Paleontological Implications , Elizabeth Ann Brown

A Comparative Study of Eucalanoid Copepods Residing in Different Oxygen Environments in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific: An Emphasis on Physiology and Biochemistry , Christine J. Cass

Aging of Florida Blue Crabs, Callinectes sapidus, Through the Biochemical Extraction of Lipofuscin , Claire Elizabeth Crowley

Microbial Landscapes of Corals and Ctenophores , Camille Arian Daniels

Population Biology, Ecology, and Ecosystem Contributions of the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) from Natural and Artificial Habitats in Tampa Bay, Florida , Michael Drexler

Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Air-Sea Carbon Dioxide Fluxes of Florida Bay , Christopher Michael Dufore

Microbial Ecology and Functional Genomics of Deep-Water Coral-Associated Microbes , Julia Parker Galkiewicz

Cataloguing Diseases and Pests in Captive Corals , Adrienne George

Advanced Search

• Email Notifications and RSS
• All Collections
• USF Faculty Publications
• Open Access Journals
• Conferences and Events
• Theses and Dissertations
• Textbooks Collection

Useful Links

• College of Marine Science Home
• Rights Information
• SelectedWorks
• Submit Research

Home | About | Help | My Account | Accessibility Statement | Language and Diversity Statements

Privacy Copyright

• Graduate Program
• Student Handbook
• M.S. & Ph.D. Milestones
• Thesis and Dissertation

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis or dissertation culminates an important stage of your graduate career. In preparing and defending this document, you prove that you have acquired essential skills of research or scholarship as well as the ability to effectively communicate the results of your inquiry to the academic community.

An electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) is an electronic document that is similar to the hard copy thesis. The electronic formatting may be similar but provides: more access to research, less expense to authors and libraries, better presentation of research, and environmental sustainability. The thesis/dissertation committee and the Office of Academic Affairs will be the responsible parties for determining what is acceptable for your thesis.

Electronic thesis and dissertation submission through ProQuest is required for School of Marine Science graduation candidates. All completed theses and dissertations (prior to August 2016) are available for inspection in Hargis Library.

Select language

Marine Sciences

Master's thesis.

Your Masters’s research project ─ concluding in a Master’s thesis ─ represents the culmination of your programme. Through your research, you’ll demonstrate both your ability to pursue independent research and your grasp of advanced knowledge in your programme’s field. Your thesis is an individual project, which you carry out under the supervision of a staff member. You’ll round of your research with a presentation of the results to fellow students and staff members.

Prerequisites

You must have earned at least 30 EC in the theoretical modules of the Master’s programme before starting your final research. Check this with your Personal Advisor (see 'Contact') to ensure you satisfy the prerequisites.

The topic of your Master’s research and thesis may be either theoretical or practical. It can be based on fieldwork, laboratory work and/or computer-based simulation/modelling.

To find a topic for your thesis, it makes sense to take the initiative and talk to academic staff members about your ideas. To get an idea of topics you can consult the Master’s Theses Online  archive where you’ll find the theses written over the last few years.

Your research project and thesis should, together, equal at least 30 EC and at most 45 EC.

Before starting your MSc project, your project has to be registered and approved by the teaching Institute/ course coordinator. For this, fill out Master thesis project agreement form (see Master thesis guideline ). This form must then be signed by you and your supervisor.

Next, register your project in Osiris Case and upload the signed agreement form as attachment. If your project involves fieldwork, you must also attach  a signed declaration regarding safety and behaviour during excursions and fieldwork

Your thesis supervisor will assess your work after obtaining a “second opinion” from a colleague.

The academic skills that you will be using and will be assessed in your thesis, include:

• preparing and initiating a research project;
• analysing and processing data;
• writing and presenting a research report.

You can view the Master's thesis rubric here .

Uploading your thesis

After your thesis has been approved, it must be uploaded to Osiris Case for grading. Within one month after registration of your grade in OSIRIS, the student will receive a request by email to upload the reviewed thesis (in PDF format) for archiving and possible publication in the Utrecht University Library thesis archive. This thesis archive is publicly accessible, so your thesis can be found through search enginges such as Google and Worldcat.

Overview and required forms

Read the complete overview of the structure and procedures for your Master’s research and thesis, including the required forms. There is also more information available on BlackBoard . 

If you need financial support with your MSc research, contact your supervisor to find about what options are available. If your project involves mineralogical, chemical or isotope analysis, the Olaf Schuiling Fund might be of assistance.

Follow Utrecht University

Utrecht University Heidelberglaan 8 3584 CS Utrecht The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0)30 253 35 50

Home > DISSERTATIONS > ALL_DISSERTATIONS

World Maritime University Dissertations

Browse dissertations by specialization, theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

The Practice of Small Island Developing States on the Consent Regime for Marine Scientific Research: Developing and Reframing the Law of the Sea in Changing Circumstances , Luciana Fernandes Coelho. ( Ph.D (Maritime Affairs),

Gender inequality in the practice of international marine science: case study on the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea , Ellen Johannesen.

Assessing the burden of an excessive SMS size on the effective implementation of the ISM Code , Li An Xian. ( Maritime Safety & Environment Management, China. )

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Law and policy in combatting piracy by maritime enforcement agencies: a Nigerian perspective , Sadiq Abubakar. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Nigeria. )

Regional organisations as a mechanism to ensure maritime safety and security: the case of the Southern Africa Development Community-SADC , Elcidio Agostinho. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Mozambique. )

Maritime governance : contextual factors affecting implementation of IMO instruments , Deniece Aiken. ( Ph.D (Maritime Affairs), Jamaica. )

Evaluation of the role of ocean literacy in reducing Ghana's marine plastic pollution from land-based sources: the educator’s perspective , Emelia Akurubire. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Ghana. )

The transition to low and near zero carbon emission ports : extent and determinants , Anas Alamoush. ( Ph.D (Maritime Affairs), Jordan. )

Spatiotemporal analyses of pelagic Sargassum : biodiversity, morphotypes and arsenic content , Kristie Alleyne. ( Ph.D (Maritime Affairs), Barbados. )

Assessing the need for harmonized marine debris monitoring and equity to support participation in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations by Caribbean SIDS , Kristal Ambrose. ( Ph.D (Maritime Affairs), The Bahamas. )

Combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Ecuador:: the maritime authority approach for the exercise of coastal state rights , Daniela Andrade Tamayo. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Ecuador. )

Decarbonisation of the shipping industry by 2050: opportunities and challenges in market-based measures , Vaishak Arayakee. ( Maritime Law & Policy, India. )

Onshore power for the docked container vessels in Apapa Port through blended finance , Oladayo Matthew Atilola. ( Maritime Energy Management, Nigeria. )

Potential roles of vessel traffic services (VTS) in maritime decarbonization , Suleiman Mustapha Bunza. ( Maritime Energy Management, Nigeria. )

Impact of crude oil trade on Nigeria’s economy: a time series approach , Ihuoma Grace Chukwuma-ekwueme. ( Shipping Management & Logistics, Nigeria. )

Including stakeholder's perspectives on mangrove ecosystems degradation and restoration to support blue carbon in Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park, Zanziba , Dani Daniel Chunga. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, United Republic of Tanzania. )

Decarbonization of shipping: an African Union perspective , Daukorude Stephen Coleman. ( Maritime Law & Ocean Policy, Nigeria. )

Harmonization of Sierra Leone’s oil pollution prevention legal framework with MARPOL 73/78 annex I regulations , Regina Chokolay Conteh-khali. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Sierra Leone. )

Review of the Wreck Removal Policy in the Philippines in relation to The Nairobi International Convention On The Removal Of Wrecks, 2007 , Anthony Cuevas. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Philippines. )

Evaluation ofthe implementation in the Chilean domestic fleet of energy efficiency, ship energy efficiency management and carbon intensity indicator, according to the rules established by the International Maritime Organization , Jorge Sebastian De La Fuente Manríquez. ( Maritime Energy Management, Chile. )

Investigating the relevance of effectiveness of cybersecurity measures in the Philippine maritime industry , Marife S. Duatin. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Philippines. )

Feasibility of LOHC as hydrogen storage option for maritime industry , Abu Md Safiul Alam Foisal. ( Maritime Energy Management, Bangladesh. )

Analysis of the pros and cons of the acquisition of training ships by METIs , Jeremiah Yaw Frimpong. ( Maritime Education & Training, Ghana. )

A system thinking approach and novel framework towards safe pilot transfer arrangements , Eslam Ramadan Badry Gad. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Egypt. )

Enhancement of search and rescue missions in the West coast of Africa: examining the possibilities of use of drones in Cabo Verde search and rescue , Artemisa Cristina Gomes Neves Mota. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Cabo Verde. )

Climate change implementation and level of compliance with the Paris Agreement: toward a climate change resilience port : a case study of port Corinto, Nicaragua. , Jorge Alfonso Gómez Prado. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Nicaragua. )

Combatting the marine litter crisis in the Windward Islands : examining source-to-sea pathways and fostering multi-scale solutions , Roxanne Elizabeth Donna Graham. ( Ph.D (Maritime Affairs), Grenada. )

Green shipping corridors: a comprehensive framework for overcoming port challenge , Ahmed Mohamed Ismail Mohamed Ismail. ( Maritime Energy Management, Egypt. )

Leveraging bargaining power in the international crude oil market: an analytical exploration of China's trade dynamics with leading oil-exporting nations , Adama Jatta and Farouq Umar Sani. ( Shipping Management & Logistics, Gambia,Nigeria. )

Safe manning of ships in the era of new and emerging technologies , Amna Javed. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Pakistan. )

Stakeholder perception of financial incentive in truck appointment systems at Chittagong Port , Suraya Yeasmin Jui. ( Port Management, Bangladesh. )

The Black Sea Grain Initiative : analysing the emerging, implementation and challenges , Mariami Kakabadze. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Georgia. )

Interrogating the state of application of technology within the Malawi Maritime Force as maritime expression : a task-technology fit approach , Gift William Kamwendo. ( Maritime Education & Training, Malawi. )

Just transition career planning for seafarers: challenges and opportunities for sustainable shipping , Sergii Kazantsev. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Ukraine. )

Exploratory study on human factors affecting safety in the shipyard of Pakistan , Bisma Khan. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Pakistan. )

A study on measures to reduce greenhouse gases and air pollutants in domestic fishing vessels , Jihong Kim. ( Maritime Energy Management, Republic of Korea. )

Estimating the extent of illegal fishing in the exclusive economic zone of Sierra Leone , Isha Jebbeh Kpaka. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Sierra Leone. )

Pricing ocean freight services: a bargaining perspective , Pankaj Kumar and Juan Manuel Cerpa. ( Shipping Management & Logistics, India,USA. )

Impact of portable piloting units on the situation awareness of maritime pilots perspectives of Danish and West African pilots , Bernard Kuwornu. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Ghana. )

Analysis of policy formulation at IMO via participation of member states: a case study of green house gas emission measures , Rahul Lodhi. ( Maritime Law & Policy, India. )

The problem of abandoned, lost, and otherwise discarded fishing gear in Eastern Caribbean small-scale fisheries : understanding the challenges, defining solutions , Tricia Lovell. ( Ph.D (Maritime Affairs), Antigua & Barbuda/Trinidad and Tobago. )

Ship registry and flag state obligations for the plurinational state of Bolivia: a case study for a landlocked state , Marco Antonio Lucano Uzquiano. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Bolivia. )

Support a safety learning culture in port state control regime , Peng Lyu. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, China. )

Elusive catch: domestic challenges encountered by the Philippines in Ratifying the Cape Town Agreement of 2012 , Gerico John Vincent Magbojos. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Philippines. )

Impact of emerging technologies on maritime education and training: a phenomenological study , Beauty Ebiere Maghoromi. ( Maritime Education & Training, Nigeria. )

Evaluating the efficacy of shipping pools : an empirical analysis of tanker and dry bulk segments , Ashraf Mahmud. ( Shipping Management & Logistics,

Policy and regulatory framework to enhance Thailand’s casualty investigation , Shinabhat Maneerin. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Thailand. )

Concept of e-certification: interrogating its global application to seafarers , Margie M. Mataac. ( Maritime Education & Training, Philippines. )

Stakeholders’ perception on the benefits of mangrove restoration in Liberia , Mark Mikely. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Liberia. )

A study on the business and regulatory framework of freight forwarders in the Republic of Maldives , - Minna Rasheed. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Maldives. )

Dissecting the relentless maritime security situation in Nigerian waters : an investigation , Lamir Ado Mohammed. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Nigeria. )

Assessment of the impact of governmental & non-governmental programmes in Kenya through donor funding to control plastic sandals from uplands and coastal communities on marine ecosystem pollution: a case study of Mombasa County , Grace Mumo Muli. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Kenya. )

Assessing Namibian dry ports: a stakeholders-centric evaluation in comparison to contemporary global standards , Phillemon Gabriel Shaningwa Mupupa. ( Port Management, Namibia. )

Stakeholders’ perspective on the degradation of seagrass and the significance of its restoration to carbon sequestration : a case study of Zanzibar, Tanzania , Salahudeen Abdallah Mustapha. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Ghana. )

Abuja MOU as a facilitator for the implementation of IMO instruments in the West and Central African region , Paul Chika Ochulor. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Nigeria. )

Implementation of maritime single window: selected case studies , Cecil Dumebi Chimaobim Ogunlesi. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Nigeria. )

Gender equality in ocean science for sustainable development : analysis of ocean science institutions in Kenya , Renis Auma Ojwala. ( Ph.D (Maritime Affairs), Kenya. )

Assessing the drivers of plastic pollution on the Lagos coastline: strategies for effective policy implementation and mitigation , Clement Oshiobugie Orbih. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Nigeria. )

Investigating the outcomes-based education (OBE): a case study using the Philippine maritime education and training (MET) system , Emma Lyn P. Pabutawan. ( Maritime Education & Training, Philippines. )

Implementation of policies in addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Philippines: a reappraisal of established mechanisms , Jethro R. Padama. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Philippines. )

Advancing the blue economy through sustainable mariculture: the prospect of pearl oyster and sponge farm cultivation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines , Kevin Antonio Providence. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. )

Enhancing South Africa’s ship registry: a comparative analysis of competitiveness effectiveness and legal frameworks with a special focus on the Singapore registry model , Tebogo Alfred Moloko Ramatjie. ( Maritime Law & Policy, South Africa. )

An interrogation of the role of NGOs in improving the maritime education and training (MET) system in Kenya , Kulthum Hussein Salim. ( Maritime Education & Training, Kenya. )

Implications of marine heatwaves for the blue economy in Ghana , Louisa Pokua Sarkodie. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Ghana. )

Port state control: banning: an analysis of banned ships from Paris MOU and its effect on other MOUs , Donghyeog Seo. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Republic of Korea. )

Harmonisation in the rules governing the recognition of foreign judicial ship sales , Yingfeng Shao. ( Ph.D (Maritime Affairs), China. )

Application of wind propulsion in the existing fleet of the Caspian Sea using real wind data , Mahmud Suleymanli. ( Maritime Energy Management, Azerbaijan. )

Examining stakeholder perceptions towards seagrass as blue carbon : an analysis of challenges & solutions to seagrass restoration in Wasini and Vanga, Kenya , Aziza Mohammed Swazuri. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Kenya. )

Exploring the role of education in addressing the skills gap for seafarers in Bangladesh's maritime industry , Fatema Tuz Tahera. ( Maritime Education & Training, Bangladesh. )

Life cycle assessment and life cycle cost assessment of offshore wind-based hydrogen production: in the case of Saldanha Bay (South Africa) , Thandeka Nonceba Tembe. ( Maritime Energy Management, South Africa. )

Risk governance framework for recreational vessels' safety in Mozambique and South Africa , Yara Hortense Alberto Tembe. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Mozambique. )

An evaluation of the alignment of Liberian fisheries laws with relevant international legal instruments to combat IUU fishing in the exclusive economic zone and territorial sea , Kla-Edward, II Toomey. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Liberia. )

Establishment of an exclusive and effective maritime tribunal in Bangladesh under the “Territorial Waters And Maritime Zones (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Act No. XXIX Of 2021)”: what is the necessity? , Mohammad Rayhan Uddin. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Bangladesh. )

Assessing the state of implementing the International Maritime Organization (IMO) strategy for addressing marine plastic pollution in Nigeria , Lucia Urinrin Ushie. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Nigeria. )

Exploring underwater noise issues: a study of decentralized approach , Takanori Uzumaki. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Japan. )

The use of extended reality in maritime education and training: a case study of India , Tirth Sanjeev Vakil. ( Maritime Education & Training, India. )

Marine plastic pollution: a review of the scientific evidence, current policies, and potential solutions , Hai Vuong. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Vietnam. )

A study on the e-navigation government framework: a Philippine perspective , Orly Wong. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Philippines. )

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Evaluating human pressure on mangrove vegetation in Nigeria: a case study of the Niger Delta , Bashir Shehu Abubakar. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Nigeria. )

Attraction and retention of seafarers: a case study using choice-based conjoint analysis , Ankit Acharya. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, India. )

Empowering women in the Ghanaian maritime community: the relevance of laws and policies , Patricia Acolatse. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Ghana. )

Exploration of occupational safety and health in Pakistan's ship breaking and recycling industry , Shehzad Akbar. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Pakistan. )

Investigating the implementation of the occupational safety and health management system in the scope of ship construction and repair yards in Azerbaijan compatible with ISO 45001 , Ali Aliyev. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Azerbaijan. )

Enhancing pilotage performance in seaports: a reveiw of state-of-the-art technology , Zain Alabden Adil Abdulmunem Almusawi. ( Port Management, Iraq. )

Implementing green port strategies in Saudi ports to achieve environmental sustainability , Saleh Mohammed Alzahrani. ( Shipping Management & Logistics, Saudi Arabia. )

The determination of port automation levels using an analytic hierarchical process : a case study for the Port of Colombo , Waruna Lasantha De Silva Amarathunga. ( Port Management, Sri Lanka. )

Integration of a hybrid microgrid system using renewable energy sources: a case study of Lagos Port Nigeria , Juliet Inze Amwe. ( Maritime Energy Management, Nigeria. )

Assessing the effectiveness of maritime centres in the context of the implementation of the Code of Conduct Concerning the Repression of Piracy, Armed Robbery against Ships and Illicit Maritime Activity in West and Central Africa (Yaounde Code Of Conduct) , Richardis Kali Anabia-Tiah. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Ghana. )

Assessment of the uptake of greener technologies in international shipping: a case study on potential impacts of ammonia as an alternative fuel, on the health and safety of seafarers. , Ifeanyi Chimezie Ananti. ( Maritime Energy Management, Nigeria. )

Perceptions of mangrove ecosystem services and conservation priorities by decision-makers and key stakeholders in Nigeria , Saratu Inuwa Audu. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Nigeria. )

Threats and challenges to maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS): role of law enforcement agencies , Muhammad Adil Bajwa. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Pakistan. )

The global menace of “Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear” (ALDFG): best practice to manage ALDFG in Ghana’s fisheries sector , Linda Bana. ( Oceans Sustainability, Governance & Management, Ghana. )

Critical analysis of policies on single-use plastics disposal from ships as a source of pollution to the marine environment , Fatai Abiola Bello. ( Maritime Law & Policy, Nigeria. )

Key determinants of a maritime logistics - hub: the case of Durban Container Terminal in South Africa , Nonqaba Jabulile Bengu. ( Shipping Management & Logistics, South Africa. )

Analysis of the impacts of strategic alliances on the liner shipping industry: case of Asia - Europe route , Alphonce Mustapha Boge. ( Shipping Management & Logistics, Tanzania. )

Evaluation of the implementation of distance education in MET , Kamal Ibrahim Buba. ( Maritime Education & Training, Nigeria. )

Achieving sustainable development through capacity building: the small-scale fishing community: the small scale South African fishing community , Zinia Siposetu Bunyula. ( Maritime Education & Training, South Africa. )

Evaluating the determinants of port productivity in Africa: a case study of Banjul Port in Gambia , Fatou Ceesay. ( Shipping Management & Logistics, Gambia. )

The role of maritime education and training at the secondary level in St. Vincent and the Grenadines , Gordon Kevin Charles. ( Maritime Education & Training, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. )

The ship-port interface safety management: case study of LNG ports and marine terminals in Algeria , Benyebka Cherigui. ( Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration, Algeria. )

Page 1 of 26

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Disciplines
• WMU Library
• Contact WMU Library

Author Corner

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

• Basic Facts
• Marine Science Advisory Council
• Recent Highlights
• Port Aransas Climate

Maps & Directions

• Visit & Learn Home
• Patton Center
• Estuary Explorium
• Wetlands Education Center
• Bay Education Center
• Public Programs
• Field Trips
• Teacher Workshops
• Summer Science
• Scientist in Residence
• Public Lectures
• Research Home
• Fish Physiology and Ecology
• Ecosystem Dynamics
• Biogeochemistry
• Fisheries & Mariculture (FAML)
• Mission-Aransas NERR
• Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystems LTER
• UTMSI Library
• Technical Seminars
• Laura Randall Schweppe Endowed Lecture Series in Marine Science
• Research Vessels
• Scientific Diving Program
• Analytical Services Offered
• Academics Home
• Undergraduate
• Course Information
• Undergraduate Research

The University of Texas Marine Science Institute 750 Channel View Drive Port Aransas, TX 78373 Phone: 361-749-6711

• You are here:  

We encourage applications from potential students who are traditionally underrepresented in the range of disciplines represented by our faculty.

Master of Science Degree Program (MS)

Two to three years of graduate study, which will include original research and practical experience as a Teaching Assistant, are required to complete the Master's degree in Marine Science. Students must complete at least thirty semester hours of acceptable graduate work in marine science and related natural sciences. This includes six hours in a supporting natural science field outside of Marine Science, six hours of advanced graduate courses in Marine Science, and three core courses. All three core courses, which total twelve hours, must be completed for a Master's degree. (A minor, which is obligatory in every Master's degree program, consists of a minimum of six hours in supporting work outside the major program). The relative number of hours in the major or minor fields, as well as the nature of the supporting work, is determined in consultation with the graduate advisor. A thesis is required and will account for six hours of the total program. The Master's thesis shall be the product of original research.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program (PhD)

Four to six years of graduate study, which will include original research and practical experience as a Teaching Assistant, are required to complete the Ph.D. in Marine Science. The Doctoral program should contain no fewer than 21 hours of acceptable graduate work in marine science and no less than 6 hours in supporting areas, in addition to dissertation and supervised teaching. Of this minimal requirement of 21 hours, 12 hours of core courses must be completed. Core courses are listed in the Graduate Catalog. Supporting work from outside the major program (area of specialty) may include courses taken at another institution. To be eligible for admission to candidacy, all doctoral students must complete their core courses and pass a qualifying examination in their area of specialization. This examination will also confirm that students are competent in the other three subdisciplines. Candidacy requirements are normally completed by the end of the second year. All doctoral candidates write a dissertation based on the results of their original research and make a formal oral defense of the document to complete the degree requirements.

Area of Specialty

Each graduate student will normally select one of the subdisciplines as an area of specialization. Based on the present faculty potential, marine biology, and marine chemistry would be the Department's strongest areas of specialization for students. As an example, a doctoral student might base the majority of his/her coursework and dissertation topic on marine biology. The dissertation research would frequently integrate one or more of the other subdisciplines studied. Students opting for a major thrust in marine chemistry would follow a similar program with chemistry forming the major part of their curriculum. Similarly, master's students would specialize in one subdiscipline.

General Information for Graduate Students

Graduate study in the Department of Marine Science requires coursework at Austin and Port Aransas and a research project in Port Aransas. The exact program will be determined by the student's interest, the research field of his supervisor, and the required courses. At present, faculty are conducting research on basic and applied aspects of the following marine science subdisciplines:   marine ecosystem dynamics, marine biogeochemistry, and adaptations to the marine environment . Marine science is the study of the marine environment including marine organisms, processes, and systems so each student's program will involve direct contact with the sea, its plants and animals, and/or the physical and chemical forces that drive it.

Facilities for graduate work in marine science are based in Austin and at the shore-side laboratory of the Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas. The Institute is located on the Aransas Pass ship channel among the dunes at the tip of Mustang Island, with easy access to bays, beaches, and the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental systems nearby include the hypersaline Laguna Madre, seagrass meadows, fresh and saltwater marshes, and the continental shelf. The Port Aransas facility offers research vessels, a specialized library, classrooms, laboratories, and a flowing seawater system.

Coursework taken in Austin often includes supporting work in other natural science departments. At least one semester is normally spent on the main campus. Students then reside in Port Aransas while they undertake thesis or dissertation research at the Marine Science Institute. These students also take additional courses there, including the majority of their core courses, other organized courses, seminars, and training cruises. Graduate student apartments are available at the Institute.

Admission requirements: The student's undergraduate training should include twenty-four semester hours in one of the life or physical sciences. At least twelve of these hours must be in upper-division work. Adequate preparation in mathematics, chemistry and physics is expected of all students.

If you plan to attend The University of Texas at Austin and study for a graduate degree in the Department of Marine Science, you should keep the following points in mind:

• Early application to The University and the Department is to your advantage (the Graduate School Application is available on the web h ere ).
• You will take courses at Austin and Port Aransas.
• The Graduate Advisor will guide your application, so keep in touch.
• You should let us know your scientific interests and you are encouraged to make direct contact with individual faculty members during the application process.

Graduate Information Index

Graduate Student Handbook Department of Marine Science Graduate Handbook.

The Graduate School   The University of Texas Graduate School. CNS Graduate Education Policies

College of Natural Sciences The University of Texas at Austin

Web Privacy Policy Web Accessibility Policy

The University of Texas Marine Science Institute 750 Channel View Drive Port Aransas, TX 78373 Telephone Number: 361-749-6711 Fax Number: 361-749-6777

Login » Science and The Sea » Human Resources » MSI Reservations » MSI RTA » Webmail » UT Direct » Sitemap »

• MyHPU Portal
• NEWS / THE 'OHANA

• Department of Natural Science

Master of Science in Marine Science

Learn and research with the best marine science professionals in the middle of the pacific.

What better place to learn about advanced marine systems than on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Earn your Master of Science in Marine Science (MSMS) from HPU. You will perform laboratory research at the Oceanic Institute - a research and development facility dedicated to marine aquaculture, biotechnology, and coastal resource management - located near Makapu‘u Point and study at HPU’s windward Hawaii Loa Campus in Kāne‘ohe featuring 135 tropical acres with awe-inspiring views of O‘ ahu’s  majestic Ko‘olau Mountains. Get your marine science graduate degree at HPU and learn from the best faculty at the ideal location - Hawai‘i.  

The Master of Science in Marine Science degree program fosters a broad understanding of marine systems through an interdisciplinary program of study. Choose from two tracks for the program – applied ( MSMS-A ) and thesis ( MSMS-T ). 

Complete your Masters in Marine Science, directly across the street from the ocean, Steps away from the natural environment, Makapuu Thesis Track

Conduct an individual research project directly with an HPU faculty member and prepare for a career in professional science.

Applied Track

Conduct an internship with local marine professionals in Hawaii, and prepare for a career in resource management.

How to apply

Research Track

A traditional thesis program designed to prepare you for a career in academia, whether conducting research or teaching. Must be matched with a faculty advisor .

Length of program 24-36 months / 36 credits  

Entry Term Fall or Spring

Program Delivery On-campus   

Cost $1,450/credit, $57,115   

Professional Track

An applied marine science program (non-thesis) that prepares you for a variety of marine professions.

Length of program 21 months / 39 credits  

Entry Term Fall  or Spring

Cost $1,450/credit, $52,765  

Contact Faculty

2024/25 advisors.

• Olivia Nigro - Environmental health, microbiomes of marine animals, deep subsurface microbiology
• Keith Korsmeyer - Fish physiology, Ichthyology, eco-physiology
• Brenden Holland - Conservation, Ecology and Evolution of Island Ecosystems
• Barbara Quimby - Marine policy and social science, community engagement, ocean resource management
• Carmella Vizza - biogeochemistry, water quality, adaptive management, biocultural restoration
• David Field - Paleo, physics of microplastic concentrating mechanisms, fisheries issues
• Dustin Moss - genetics, aquaculture, multi-trophic aquaculture, shrimp, seaweed
• Matthew Iacchei - Molecular approaches to marine conservation, fisheries management
• Jennifer Lynch – plastic pollution, marine debris, animal health

Application Requirements

Priority application date: january 15, (details here).

A baccalaureate degree in the Natural Sciences is required for entry into the MSMS program. Certain course prerequisites may be required before enrolling in graduate MSMS courses, depending on the student’s academic preparation and research interests.

For students in the thesis track, the graduate thesis committee will determine whether any deficiencies exist and how these deficiencies will be addressed. Additionally, being paired with a faculty mentor is necessary for acceptance into the MSMS-T track.

Program Outcomes

Students who successfully complete the Master of Science in Marine Science program will:

Demonstrate an interdisciplinary knowledge of marine systems.

Demonstrate the ability to plan and implement observational, theoretical, and experimental studies.

Interpret and critique professional scientific literature.

Demonstrate an advanced ability to apply and integrate scientific principles and research data to address complex questions in marine systems.

Demonstrate competence in scientific communication through technical and scientific reports, publications and oral presentations.

Demonstrate professionalism and scientific ethics.

Have the competence to gain employment in advanced resource management positions or entrance to a doctoral program in related fields.

Funding Opportunities

Hpu support.

HPU offers merit-based Graduate Assistantships (GAs) that provide a 50% or 25% tuition discount for four consecutive semesters.  For more GA details, go to the FAQs above.

External Funding Opportunities

• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
• EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) graduate fellowship
• Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship
• Steven Berkeley Marine Conservation Fellowship
• North Pacific Research Board Graduate Student Research Award
• American Meteorological Society Graduate Fellowship
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Fellowships
• Society of Exploration Geophysicists Scholarship
• Schlanger Ocean Drilling Fellowship
• The Geological Society of America graduate student research grants
• International Women's Fishing Association Scholarship
• International Society for Reef Studies Graduate Fellowship
• Fulbright Scholar Program
• Must be a U.S. citizen and accept DOD employment post-graduation
• Open to MTS members who are college graduate students currently enrolled full time in a marine-related field
• Open to MTS members who are college undergraduates and graduate students currently enrolled full time in a marine-related field who have shown a commitment to community service and/or volunteer activities
• Open to MTS student members interested in remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or underwater work that furthers the use of ROVs

Minority Scholarships / Fellowships

• For women who hold a degree and are performing research
• Must be a member of AWG
• For women in STEM with demonstrated financial need
• Must be American Indian, Native Alaskan, or Native Hawaiian
• Must be of Hispanic heritage
• Must be an immigrant or child of immigrant parents
• Must be a U.S. citizen and minority
• Must be Native American

Internship / Other

• Provides funding for a summer internship in east Asia/Pacific
• For those post-Baccalaureate or post-Master degree with work experience 
• Most appropriate for students defending their thesis soon - fellowship requires moving to the DC area
• Open to students enrolled in a graduate program at any US accredited university

Where will MSMS take you?

HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE PATHS OUR STUDENTS HAVE TAKEN AFTER GRADUATING FROM OUR  MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MARINE SCIENCE PROGRAM:

General Aquarist at the Waikiki Aquarium, Honolulu, HI

NOAA Marine Debris Technician, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Marine Mammal Biologist, U.S. Navy, Kaneohe, HI

Doctoral Candidates in various Science and Medical Programs, U.S. & abroad

Research Technicians at both Hawaii Pacific University and University of Hawaii-Manoa

Operations Manager, NOAA Atlantic fleet

Laboratory Technician, University of Maryland

Adjunct Instructor, Hawaii Pacific University

Kayak Eco Guide, Kailua, HI

High School Science Teachers, various locations

Clinical Research Assistant at East-West Medical Research Institute, Honolulu, HI

Habitat Restoration Coordinator for the non-profit conservation organization Malama Maunalua

Pacific Islands Marine Debris Assistant Regional Coordinator for NOAA, Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument

Lecturer, California State University - Monterey Bay

Endangered Species Officer, Marshall Islands Marine Resources Advisory

AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer, STEAM Outreach Specialist, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI

Online instructor for Hawaii Community College, Big Island, HI

Research Associates, Oceanic Institute, Waimanalo, HI

Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Alu Like, Inc., a nonprofit organization for native Hawaiians

Whale Watch Naturalists, Kailua-Kona, HI

Wildlife Management Intern, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Lab Technicians for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Kaneohe, HI

Science Curriculum Specialist, Mālama Honua Public Charter School, Waimanalo, HI

Performing mandatory military service in country of origin

Biologists for multiple federal agencies around the U.S.

NOAA Field Observer, Papahanaumakuakea Marine National Monument, Midway Island

Biological Technicians, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge

Fishery Policy Analyst, International Programs Staff Office, NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office

Marine Biologist / NOAA Unit Dive Supervisor, Ecosystems and Oceanography Division, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Programs and Operations Coordinator, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Maui, HI

Field Research Supervisor, Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawaii-Manoa/NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Loko I'a Coordinator for Kua'aina Ulu 'Auamo - a community-based nonprofit for environmental conservation in Hawaii

NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, Washington, DC

Research Assistant, Pacific Rim Conservation

Fellow, National Marine Sanctuaries' Pacific Island Region and University of Hawai`i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), Kaneohe, HI

Fishery Analyst, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, Honolulu, HI

Marine Turtle Research Associate, Marine Turtle Research Program, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Teaching Fellow, KIPP Austin Public Schools

NSF Ocean Acidification Research Technician, California State University - Northridge

Project Researcher, Sustainable Fisheries Group at the School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California - Santa Barbara

Environmental Scientists, Specialists, and Consultants for various governmental and private agencies, U.S.

Terrestrial Fisheries Data Specialist, Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawaii-Manoa/NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Hydrologic Scientist, Water Monitoring Division, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Chief Engineer, Chemical Oceanography Department, University of Bergen - Norway

• Instrument Specialist, The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo

Q: Who is eligible for HPU’s MSMS program?

A: Students graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in the Natural Sciences with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher may apply to the MSMS program at HPU. International students may be required to provide TOEFL scores. Please visit International Requirements for more information about eligibility if applying as an international student.

Q: Besides applying, what else do I need to do to get into your program?

A: To be accepted to the MSMS-T (thesis) track, an MSMS faculty advisor must agree to serve as your mentor throughout the research and thesis process. For this reason, we encourage students to begin making contact as soon as possible with faculty whose research is of interest. The onus is on the applicant to initiate contact with potential mentors.  Acceptance to the MSMS-A (applied) non-thesis track does not require the commitment of a faculty advisor; the MSMS Program Director and MSMS Program Administrator work together as MSMS-A advisors.

Q: How important is my GRE score?

A: THE GRE IS OPTIONAL FOR APPLICATIONS TO AY 2021-2022.  Rather than evaluating an applicant on the basis of GRE scores alone, we focus on how students performed relative to the rest of their test group. Our percentile breakdown is as follows: 75th percentile = Desirable, 50th percentile = Qualified, 40th percentile = Satisfactory. Applicants with scores lower than the 40th percentile will only be accepted if the student has very strong transcripts or strong HPU faculty support. Students with scores below the 40th percentile may be required to take courses in the area(s) of weakness or re-challenge the exam.

Q: FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS REQUIRED TO TAKE THE TOEFL EXAM, WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM SCORES NEEDED TO BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

A:   TOEFL (IBT) overall score of 80 with a writing score of 25 or IELTS overall score of 6.0 with a writing score of 6.5.

Q: Is there an interview?

A: HPU’s Graduate Admissions website shows that an interview is required as part of the selection process, and interviews are required for acceptance to the MSMS- T track . The interview is usually a phone call between a potential faculty advisor and the applicant. Although our applicants initiate first contact with faculty, a faculty member interested in a particular applicant will set up a time to talk with that applicant via phone or Skype. Interviews are not required for the MSMS-A option.

Q: Is funding available?

A: The MSMS program does not offer scholarships, but MSMS-T accepted applicants are automatically considered for a merit-based Graduate Assistantship (GA). MSMS-A applicants are automatically placed on a waitlist for the GA, and may receive this award if funding is available. Beginning Fall 2018, we are able to offer a limited number of Graduate Assistantships which include either a $6250 OR $3125 tuition waiver for four consecutive semesters (not including summer terms) in return for 19 HRS/WK OR 10 HRS/WK (respectively) of service to the Department of Natural Sciences. Students do not need to apply for the GA; all accepted applicants are evaluated for this award

Some faculty may have grant funds available to help support their MSMS-T students; you will need to ask prospective faculty advisors about potential support for their specific research programs.

For a list of external scholarships, internships, and fellowships for graduate students in the marine sciences, see the Funding Opportunities section below. Students may also apply for loans offered through the Financial Aid Office at HPU. Visit the HPU-FAO website directly for more information.

For more information, or for answers to questions not listed above, please contact the MSMS Program Administrator at [email protected]

Careers in Marine Science

Ocean Careers

Marine Careers - Sea Grant

Careers in Oceanography, Marine Science & Marine Biology

Careers in Marine or Aquatic Sciences

Links to Related Job Opportunities

American Fisheries Society

Association for the Sciences of Limnology & Oceanography (ASLO)

Association of Zoos & Aquariums

Marine Advanced Technology Education

National Association of Marine Laboratories

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)   - (select Advanced Search, Dept. of Commerce, NOAA)

NOAA Fishery Observer Program

National Science Teachers Association

World Aquaculture Society

The combination of a perfect location, unique research opportunities, dedicated faculty, and rigorous training propels our students toward exciting and rewarding careers in marine science. For more information about our research instrumentation please visit our Scientific Instrumentation Facilities page; for more information about careers in marine science or our vessel the Kaholo, please visit our Resources for Marine Science page.

Request Info

Msms resources.

• MS Marine Science Applied Track
• MS Marine Science Thesis Track
• MS Marine Science Course Catalog
• MS Concurrent Programs
• MSMS Faculty
• 2022-2024 MSMS Graduate Student Handbook
• MSMS Concurrent Registration Guide
• Resources for Marine Science
• Oceanic Institute
• Degree Plans
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships
• Study Abroad
• Tuition and Fees

MS Degree in Marine Sciences

Find out how to Apply

Cliff Buck Graduate Coordinator 

[email protected]

We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience.  Click here to learn more about giving .

Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.

Athens: (706) 542-7671 SkIO: (912) 598-2400

• Graduate Programs
• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Degree Programs >

MS, Marine Sciences – Non-thesis

Study the biology, chemistry, geology, and physics of Earth’s oceans and coasts. We offer interdisciplinary training at facilities in Athens and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, and provide research opportunities on local and global issues.

Degree Type: Masters

Degree Program Code: MS_MARS_NT

Degree Program Summary:

The Department of Marine Sciences offers a M.S. degree program with concentrations in chemical, biological, geological and physical oceanography. Research opportunities exist across a wide range of topics that reflect the multidisciplinary nature of Marine Sciences.

Graduate students in the Department of Marine Sciences are supported by assistantships or fellowships, and the high faculty to student ratio facilitates highly individualized training and mentoring.

Graduate students have access to the extensive field and laboratory facilities on the UGA main campus in Athens and at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah, the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, and the Marine Extension Service. Our faculty participate in multi-institutional research programs that provide unique opportunities for student research.

Current graduate students are conducting research in marine microbial metagenomics and ecology, organic and inorganic biogeochemistry, marine ecosystems and policy, biological oceanography, coastal circulation and ecology, deep-sea and sediment processes, marine geology, integrative modeling, climate change and others.

Reflecting the diversity of our program, our graduates find employment in a wide range of areas, including federal agencies, NGOs, industry and academia.

Office Location: Marine Sciences Building 325 Sanford Drive Athens, GA 30602

Locations Offered:

Athens (Main Campus)

College / School:

Franklin College of Arts & Sciences

346 Brooks Hall Athens, GA 30602

706-542-8776

Department:

Marine Sciences

Graduate Coordinator(s):

Clifton Buck

Search for another degree

Find your graduate program.

Offering 200+ degrees, certificates and programs of study, we’ll help you get started on your graduate journey.

 or 

Search by keyword, program of study, department or area of interest

Interested in earning both a bachelor’s & master’s degree in five years or less?

Learn more about Double Dawgs .

Unlocking potential. Building futures.

Apply Today

The Graduate School Brooks Hall 310 Herty Drive Athens, GA 30602 706.542.1739

• Administration
• Graduate Bulletin
• Strategic Plan
• Virtual Tour
• Submit a Complaint
• Request Information
• Requirements
• Application Fee
• Check Status
• UGA Main Campus
• UGA Gwinnett
• UGA Griffin
• UGA Atlanta-Buckhead

University Bulletin 2024-2025

Marine science (ms) - non-thesis option, master of science in marine sciences.

The Master of Science degree in Marine Sciences is awarded in recognition of the student's demonstrated ability to successfully complete a prescribed program of courses. It also is preferred that students undertake original scholarly research, which culminates in writing and defending an acceptable thesis.

Minimum Requirements for Admission

Students are normally admitted in the Fall Semester. Although applications for admission and fellowships are accepted throughout the year, application before February 1 is encouraged; beginning February 15 the admissions committee will make initial recommendations about applicants for the following Fall class, with formal letters sent to applicants by the end of April. Depending on availability of space and funding, applications may be approved and students admitted throughout the year.

In addition to the general admissions requirements of the Graduate School, requirements for admission to the Marine Sciences M.S. program are:

A narrative statement indicating the student's research interests, professional goals and commitment to full-time study for completion of degree requirements. It is highly encouraged that prospective students reach out to the faculty to discuss research interests. All of our M.S. students are funded on grant-funded research assistantships. Thus, acceptance of new students may be a condition of available funding.

Three letters of recommendation.

• A baccalaureate degree in a discipline related to marine sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, geology, physics) from an accredited four-year college or university.

Applicants to graduate programs in Arts and Sciences typically have a minimum GPA of at least a 3.0 on all undergraduate work. In exceptional cases, applicants may be considered with at least a 2.5 GPA on all undergraduate work, or at least a 2.75 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work.

The GRE score is not required for admission. You may optionally submit your GRE scores if you wish for them to be considered as part of your application to any graduate program in the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, but this is not required. Individual faculty members may consider available GRE scores as part of a holistic evaluation of the candidates.

• International students must submit an official score of at least 71 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or equivalent score on computer administered tests.

Degree Requirements

Required credit.

A minimum of thirty (30) semester hours of approved graduate credit is required. Details about the curriculum are given below.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of twelve (12) semester hours of graduate courses taken at another accredited university in the same (or closely related) subject as that of the masters program may be considered as part of the MS degree requirements at USA. Only grades of "A" or "B" may be accepted as transfer credits. The student's mentor (major professor), in consultation with the Chair, and if necessary, the student's advisory committee, will evaluate transfer credit. The final approval is by the Dean of the Graduate School.

Residence, Full-Time Study, and Continuous Registration

A minimum of two (2) consecutive semesters of full-time study in residence is required. The residency requirements may be met at USA or the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Students are considered full-time if registered for six (6) or more hours during fall and spring semesters. Students on assistantship must be registered continuously, i.e., every semester (fall, spring, and summer), during their program. Typical summer registration is 3 hours. 

Employment other than University activities directly associated with graduate study is not allowed during full-time study, unless specifically approved by the Chair.

All requirements for the MS degree must be completed within three (3) years from the date of matriculation. A student who has not satisfactorily completed a M.S. degree in a three-year period must apply for a defined extension to complete the degree. This request must be recommended by a major professor, the Chair, the Director of Graduate Studies, and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. 

Failure to complete the work within the periods specified shall necessitate reevaluation of the student's program, and may result in a recommendation of dismissal by the Director of Graduate Studies to the Graduate Dean.

All students pursuing the non-thesis option must have formal coursework in the following general areas of marine sciences; physical, chemical, geological, or biological oceanography. This requirement is met by completion of four (4) core courses, representing sixteen (16) credit hours.

The required core courses are each four (4) semester hours. In addition, two (2) seminar courses are required that are one-hour each.

The remaining course work will be determined by the student's advisory committee and may include marine sciences or other graduate electives, directed studies, and thesis hours. 

• Minimum of thirty (30) hours
• Comprehensive examinations
• Grades of "B" or better in all core courses will satisfy the requirement of a comprehensive exam.

Non-Thesis Program

Students pursuing the MS degree in Marine Sciences are encouraged to follow the thesis option. However, a non-thesis curriculum is available for students, upon agreement of the major professor and advisory committee, who so elect. The student will be required to complete the same degree requirements as those for a student who chooses the thesis option, with the following exceptions:

• A thesis will not be required, consequently thesis hours can not be applied to the thirty (30) hour minimum requirement.
• Course work must include all four (4) core courses.
• The student must take written and oral comprehensive exams to be given by the advisory committee.
• The student must complete Directed Studies under the direction of the major professor. The student must also have an advisory committee whose members will decide if the student's report relating to the directed study is satisfactory. The committee normally will consist of the major professor and two others. The student is required to present an open seminar about the directed study during the last semester of residency.

Print Options

Send Page to Printer

Print this page.

Download Page (PDF)

The PDF will include all information unique to this page.

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts
• Open access
• Published: 08 August 2024

Growing prominence of deep-sea life in marine bioprospecting

• Erik Zhivkoplias   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8492-5649 1 ,
• Jean-Baptiste Jouffray   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4105-6372 1 , 2 ,
• Paul Dunshirn   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3101-4811 3 ,
• Agnes Pranindita   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0075-334X 1 , 4 &
• Robert Blasiak   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0888-0159 1 , 5  

Nature Sustainability volume  7 ,  pages 1027–1037 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

1108 Accesses

Metrics details

• Biotechnology
• Business and industry
• Conservation biology

Marine bioprospecting, which involves the exploration of genetic and biochemical material from marine organisms, can be used towards addressing a broad range of public and environmental health applications such as disease treatment, diagnostics and bioremediation. Marine genetic resources are important reservoirs for such bioprospecting efforts; however, the extent to which they are used commercially for natural product discovery and the marine sources from which they are derived are not well understood. Here we introduce a comprehensive database of marine genes referenced in patent filings, the Marine Bioprospecting Patent database. It includes 92,550 protein-coding sequences associated with 4,779 patent filings, identified by analysing all relevant records from genetic sequence databases. Three companies alone—BASF, IFF and DuPont—included sequences from 949 species (more than half of referenced species with identified marine origin). Microbial life in the deep sea, a vast and remote biome predominantly beyond national jurisdiction, is already attracting substantial economic interest; the top ten patent holders have all filed marine gene patents referencing sequences from deep-sea life. Our findings provide an updated understanding of the marine bioprospecting landscape, contribute to the sustainable use of marine biodiversity and underscore the need for policymakers to ensure stewardship of deep-sea ecosystems.

Similar content being viewed by others

The ocean genome and future prospects for conservation and equity

Metagenomics to characterize sediment microbial biodiversity associated with fishing exposure within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Global assessment of innovative solutions to tackle marine litter

Biodiscovery—the exploration and use of genetic and biochemical properties of biological materials—has a long and rich history. For instance, centuries before the discovery of penicillin from mould in a laboratory, skin diseases were already being treated in the Kingdom of Jordan via red soils with potent antibacterial properties that have only recently been confirmed 1 . Other examples include traditional medicines extracted from evergreen shrubs for cancer treatment 2 , derivatives of the foxglove plant used to treat heart problems 3 , antimalarial quinine 4 and fungi-extracted podophyllotoxin to treat sexually transmitted diseases 5 . However, recent advances in genetics and sequencing innovations have spurred an unprecedented growth in the scale of discoveries. Today, bioprospecting—the search for potential products with scientific and industrial value derived from biological resources such as animals, plants and microorganisms—often involves large-scale screening, analysis and prediction of prospective biological compounds through the exploration of databases with sequencing data, including DNA extracted directly from environmental samples 6 .

In this context, the ocean is considered a promising but largely untapped frontier for biodiscovery 7 . Marine organisms have evolved over millions of years to adapt to extreme conditions of temperature, salinity, light, pressure and water flow 8 . These conditions as well as a far longer evolutionary history have contributed to substantially greater taxonomic and functional diversity in marine habitats than in other biomes 9 . Nearly one million eukaryotic species are believed to inhabit the ocean 10 , and the number of archaea and bacteria may be ten thousand times higher 11 , yet most remain undescribed by science.

Despite these knowledge gaps, marine biotechnology—the use of marine organisms and their compounds for a wide range of applications in industrial sectors—has managed to distinguish itself from the broader biotechnology landscape. For instance, while nearly half of the approved pharmaceuticals are based on biological compounds produced by living organisms, success rates are two to four times higher for compounds from marine organisms 7 , 12 . Annual sales and licensing revenues from marine drugs have exceeded US$1 billion annually since 2011 13 , and prospects for greater commercial growth are substantial: in 2020 alone, more than 1,400 new compounds were isolated from marine species 14 . Biomolecules extracted from marine bacteria and other products developed from sequences of larger marine organisms are widely used in food production, diagnostics, bioremediation and disease treatment 15 . Some notable examples include the discovery of a thermostable enzyme required for the production of lactose-free milk in Archaea Pyrococcus furiosus 16 , seawater cyanobacteria toxins developed into anticancer treatment products 17 and the extensive use of green fluorescent protein found in jellyfish Aequorea victoria 18 as a molecular marker, both in medical and diagnostic contexts and fundamental research.

Establishing a regulatory landscape that keeps pace with rapid advances in biotechnology, while also promoting transparency, equitable access and benefit-sharing mechanisms, has proven challenging 19 . The adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1993 was a crucial milestone, as it defined genetic resources as ‘any material of marine plant, animal, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity of actual or potential value’, and established the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their use as one of the convention’s three core objectives 20 . In 2014, the convention’s Nagoya Protocol provided a framework to regulate the access and benefit sharing of marine genetic resources (MGR) sampled in national jurisdictions 21 . Yet, some two-thirds of the ocean lies beyond national jurisdiction, and it was not until 2023, following protracted negotiations, that the ‘High Seas Treaty’ was agreed upon, including provisions to address MGR from areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) 22 .

Despite these encouraging developments, the actual and potential value of MGR for marine bioprospecting remains poorly understood. Studies have focused on counting referenced marine species in patents 23 or GenBank 24 , examining sequences in international patent applications 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 or exploring biological compounds for natural product discovery 29 , 30 . A common aspect to all these studies, however, is their lack of focus on the connection between the actors involved in the use of MGR and the potential sources for natural product discovery. They also suffer from limited information in patent and GenBank records about the geographical origin of gene sequences, which in many cases are referenced without naming the source species. The unevenness of these data presents a challenge for interpreting the true scale, scope and trajectory of marine bioprospecting.

Here we address these gaps by creating a comprehensive database of genetic sequences and related patent applications from 1989 to 2022 in marine bioprospecting. In addition to systematically compiling and presenting key data about the sequences, coded proteins, date of deposition and patent holders, we also address significant data gaps by developing and applying a BlastX sequence similarity model to consider sequences from unnamed species. We also assess the biodiversity data of species currently considered unique to ABNJ and highlight the special importance of deep-sea conservation for future biotechnology focused on the innovation and development of naturally derived products.

Our analysis of patent filings revealed 29,065 nucleotide sequences from 1,474 disclosed marine species across 3,636 unique patents, representing approximately 1% of all gene patents submitted to the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC). Many patents referenced multiple sequences, with a majority including both marine and non-marine sequences (Fig. 1a ). Overall, marine sequences and species represented only 16% and 15%, respectively, of all sequences and species identified within the 3,636 patents (Fig. 1b,c ). For comparison, approximately 242,000 marine species have been described to date (World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), 2022), corresponding to roughly 10% of the 2.1 million species described by science 31 . This suggests considerable untapped potential of marine bioprospecting (Fig. 1b and Supplementary Table 1 ).

a , Number of patents that contain sequences associated with species of marine origin only, and patents with species from both marine and mixed origins. b , Number of unique marine and non-marine species referenced in patent applications that include at least one sequence of marine origin. c , Sequence frequency aggregated by species they originate from. Only 16% of all sequences attached to patent applications originate from marine species. The top five species with the highest frequency in each class are indicated. Marine species: (1) C. intestinalis (2.96%), (2) Gadus morhua (1.76%), (3) Anguilla japonica (0.67%), (4) Salmo salar (0.34%) and (5) Oncorhynchus mykiss (0.26%). Non-marine species: (6) Arabidopsis thaliana (4.31%), (7) Zea mays (3.61%), (8) Glycine max (2.87%), (9) Homo sapiens (2.71%) and (10) Oryza sativa (2.60%).

Types of sequence in marine gene patents

The patent applicants who referenced the highest number of unique genetic sequences included both protein-coding and non-coding sequences, with the former having a higher potential for natural product discovery (Fig. 2 ). Most of the companies with a large number of applications referenced protein-coding genes that originate from multiple species, with an average length between 500 and 2,000 nucleotides. Some applicants specifically focused on MGR from a single species and predominately referenced non-coding sequences. For instance, the Fisheries Research Agency of the National Research and Development Agency in Japan included 1,179 sequences in their patent applications, mostly originating from Japanese eel ( Anguilla japonica) , yet only 127 are protein-coding sequences. Similarly, the Japan Science and Technology Agency has referenced 5,190 sequences from the sea vase tunicate ( Ciona intestinalis ), only 150 of which are protein-coding genes.

Applicants that submitted at least 25 nucleotide sequences in their patent claims (81% of all sequences) are shown. Companies that submitted at least 250 sequences are indicated. The size of the dots represents the number of patents submitted by each applicant. The dotted grey line indicates the shortest protein length estimation (150 base pairs). The continuous colour bar indicates the percentage of protein-coding sequences submitted in applicant claims. BASF [DE], BASF; JST [JP], Japan Science and Technology Agency; GENOME ATLANTIC [CA], Genome Atlantic; FRA [JP], Fisheries Research Agency; EW GROUP [DE], EW Group GmbH; UNIVERSITY OF UTAH [US], The University of Utah; YEDA [IL], Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd.; KIOST [KR], The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology; DU PONT [US], DuPont; OGT [UK], Oxford Gene Technology Ltd.; KHK [JP], Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.; DSM [NL], DSM N.V.; KANEKA CORP [JP], Kaneka Corporation; GS [AU], Gene Stream Pty Ltd.; GENOMAR [NO], GenoMar.

Most short non-coding sequences of identical length, originating from the same species, exhibit a wide range of GC content (that is, the percentage of two DNA basic building blocks), which is typical for artificially modified sequences used in amplification or as probes for detecting specific sequences of DNA or RNA (Supplementary Fig. 1 ). Out of all the patents that include at least one sequence from disclosed marine species, 71% contain nucleotide sequences that are potentially protein-coding genes. This suggests that most MGR are used in bioprospecting (Fig. 3a ). For sequences of particular interest (that is, those submitted to all patent systems), we provide examples illustrating the conversion of DNA molecules into products of value (Box 1 ).

a , Share of companies that submitted patents with at least one protein-coding sequence (bioprospecting patents) and patents with non-coding sequences only. b , Top 100 largest patent applicants in marine bioprospecting, aggregated by applicant type. The terms ‘multinational’ and ‘national’ denote the extent of company presence in more than two countries or less, respectively. c , Top 100 largest patent applicants in marine bioprospecting, aggregated by country of origin (the country of headquarters).

Box 1 Marine gene patents needing extra protection

Global actors often seek patent protection for their inventions in multiple countries. Filing fees for patent applications extend into the thousands of US dollars per application, and the inventor still has to pay additional fees for each filing. For instance, the average cost of filing in the USA, including attorney’s fees, has been estimated at around US$50,000 (ref. 78 ). Therefore, it is more likely that protection will be sought for highly promising products, methods or associated biotechnological processes. A review of patent filings that include identical nucleotide sequences submitted to all national patent bureaus (13 sequences in total) reveals that the scope of patented commercial biotechnological applications is wide and usually involves transferring specific enzymes to cell metabolic pathways to maximize the production of a specific compound. Examples include applications of biotechnology in medicine (enzymes used for skin care), the food industry (enzymes used in baking and dairy products), agriculture (production of herbicide-tolerant transgenic crops), industrial production (metal nanomaterials used in products such as creams, shampoos, clothing, footwear and plastic containers) and the production of biofuel (isobutanol production and hydrocarbon biosynthesis) (Supplementary Table 2 ).

One sequence originating from the methanogenic marine archaea species Methanococcus maripaludis has been the subject of a series of lawsuits between Butamax (now a subsidiary of International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF)) and Gevo, a transnational biofuels company. The enzyme found in M. maripaludis was essential for isobutanol production, and these companies fought over the production of isobutanol instead of ethanol using yeast. After many years of patent disputes, the issue was finally settled through the splitting of the parties’ licences in all fields of isobutanol production 79 . In 2021, all Butamax-owned patents were completely acquired by Gevo 80 .

Marine Bioprospecting Patent database

While INSDC records provide considerable insight into the genes referenced in patents, only 37.3% of records include the name of source species, primarily filed under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the European Patent Office, the Patent Office of Japan and the Korean Intellectual Property Office. Most of the remaining records are from the US Patent and Trademark Office, which does not share species names in its records (Supplementary Fig. 2 ).

To address this gap, we developed a sequence similarity model and BlastX search tool to query all genetic sequences with unknown origins against the UniProtKB protein sequence database. This model retrieved an additional 60,636 sequences, which can be said with a high degree of certainty to originate from marine organisms. Together with the 31,914 protein-coding sequences of confirmed marine species, this resulted in a comprehensive database of 92,550 sequences, which form the basis for all subsequent analysis in this paper and were used to construct the Marine Bioprospecting Patent (MABPAT) database ( https://mabpat.shinyapps.io/main/ ).

Key actors in marine biotechnology

We found that 100 applicants accounted for 58% of all patents that contain protein-coding sequences with identified marine origin (that is, bioprospecting patents). The remaining 42% were associated with applicants who filed fewer than two patents on average. For companies in the top 100 (Supplementary Table 3 ), the total number of patent applications would have been underestimated by at least one-third if we had not applied the sequence similarity model. Transnational corporations (1,675 applications) are the most frequent type of applicant, although roughly one-fifth of filings are from research institutes and their commercialization centres (634 applications) (Fig. 3b ). In total, 78% of all bioprospecting patents filed by the top 100 were submitted by actors headquartered in the USA, Germany or Japan (Fig. 3c ).

The number of patents registered by each applicant is correlated with the total count of unique species included in such patents ( r  = 0.8168, P  = 2.17552 × 10 −318 ). To illustrate how much biological diversity each of these applicants is drawing upon, we connected patent holders and unique species included in patent claims and aggregated on the domain (Fig. 4a ) and phylum level of biological taxonomy (Supplementary Fig. 6 ). For each flow diagram, we also added information if the corresponding marine species had been observed in a deep-sea environment. The most active users of MGR are primarily dependent on sequences from bacteria and archaea (Fig. 4a ). The ten largest actors, including eight multinational corporations and two public research bodies (Fig. 4a ), collectively registered more than one-third of all patents in the top 100. Deep-sea marine species have attracted interest from all ten of the largest users of MGR.

a , Species of interest in bioprospecting connected to a company of reference (top 10 largest patent applicants) in patent application grouped by domain and potential presence in ABNJ and deep-sea habitats. AIST, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology; UC, The University of California. The interactive version of this plot is available at https://mabpat.shinyapps.io/main/ . b , Percentage of deep-sea species present exclusively in ABNJ and all species living in the ocean according to WoRMS. Credit: flags in a , flagpedia.net ; icons in a , FreePik.com .

The opacity of marine bioprospecting in ABNJ

Issues of access and benefit sharing related to genetic material from ABNJ are of particular interest as they fall outside the scope of the Nagoya Protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity and were at the core of negotiations for the High Seas Treaty adopted in June 2023. It is therefore notable that among 1,639 species of identified marine origin referenced in INSDC patent records, 281 species have been observed in ABNJ, with only 5 of them being exclusive. This contrasts with the 5,889 species found exclusively in ABNJ, predominantly from the Arthropoda, Foraminifera and Nematoda phyla, according to our analysis of species observation data available in the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), a global open-access database on marine biodiversity ( https://obis.org ). The complete taxonomic distribution is given in Supplementary Fig. 7 . According to the records from the World Register of Deep-Sea Species (WoRDSS), 39% of marine species were exclusively found to inhabit deep-sea environments, in contrast to only 15% of all species listed in WoRMS (Fig. 4b ). The spatial distribution of ABNJ-specific species (Supplementary Table 4 ) is predominantly in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic latitudes (Supplementary Fig. 8 ).

ABNJ account for 64% of the ocean surface area and 95% of its volume. Once thought to be largely devoid of life, the deep-sea habitats and the water column have been found to harbour many marine species. While many of these species are thought to be considerably cosmopolitan, hotspots of endemism are found throughout the deep sea, perhaps most strikingly around hydrothermal vent systems 32 . According to geolocations of active hydrothermal vents (721 in total), more than half (363) are located in ABNJ.

Marine biotechnology is mainly focused on species that serve as model organisms in basic research and as a backbone in genetic engineering, allowing the creation of new drugs and increasing the efficiency of biotechnological processes for food and energy production, plant agriculture or the invention of new materials 33 . Marine species currently represent a small, but important, share that is used as a source for natural product discovery 7 , 30 . Unravelling the global scope of economic interest in MGR is a crucial first step towards understanding the value that rests in the biological functions encoded in genetic sequences and pathways to fair and equitable sharing of benefits from its use.

Patent data are a valuable source of information in examining innovation and technological advancements, which are widely acknowledged as key drivers of firm performance and economic growth 34 , 35 . Aggregate patent application counts in particular are useful for studying national patenting activity 36 . Patent data also provide insights into the scope of ‘pre-emptive patenting’ to block competitors, to increase the market price of existing products or to ensure operational freedom 37 —strategies that biotechnology corporations are known to use 38 . While estimating the market value of patents or establishing links to commercialization is challenging 39 , patent data are a useful indicator for gaining insights into the long-term economic interest of societal actors in MGR applications on a global level, in the form of either knowledge production or market control.

The MABPAT database offers a global catalogue of patent sequences derived from marine species over the past three decades. It includes in depth information on patent applications, the genetic sequences attached to them and the marine species from which the sequences were derived, effectively connecting the resources and users of marine bioprospecting. In doing so, the MABPAT database not only fills an important research gap but also contributes to the transparency and interoperability of MGR use. By making it publicly available, we hope to enable further research efforts to inform improved policymaking. The analysis that generated this database also resulted in three key insights that are addressed below.

Rapid technological advances and data governance

Scholars have suggested that the earliest form of a patent system can be traced back 2,500 years ago to ancient Greece and that the first modern patent law dates back to the year 1474 40 . Little surprise then that the patent system has struggled to keep pace with the rapid advances in genetics and genomics research of the past decades, as seen, for instance, in the considerable variation in ground rules for patenting genetic sequences across jurisdictions 27 . Key developments over the past 30 years have focused on jurisdictional norms and compliance standards. In 1998, international applications introduced a mandatory data element for sequence description (‘organism’), which aimed to indicate biological origin 41 . Yet, current international standards 42 still allow the inclusion of custom organism names not listed in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System ( https://www.itis.gov/ ), including ‘unknown’, ‘unidentified’ and ‘artificial sequence’. The new requirements of INSDC 43 , announced in November 2021, aim to ensure correct origin disclosure for all incoming sequences. But the effect on the 24.5 million patent sequences already stored in the databases as well as new depositions remains uncertain given that it is ultimately up to patent offices to define standards for the sequences attached to patent applications ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/education/patent_and_ip_faqs/ ).

The analysis of patents therefore often depends on either accepting considerable data gaps or developing methods to reconstruct missing data. In this study, for instance, 17.2 million sequences would have been excluded from the analysis owing to the lack of species names (primarily from the US Patent and Trademark Office, the largest repository of biological sequences and patents). Instead, our sequence similarity model allowed us to reasonably and more comprehensively estimate the patent shares across national states and actor types. This reconstruction allowed us to identify marine origin, focusing on molecular similarities of biological molecules instead of relying on disclosed species names, and to confirm with higher confidence than previous work that Japan, the USA and Germany are the headquarters location for the world’s primary MGR patent applicants 25 , 27 . The disproportionate importance of these three states suggests a corresponding responsibility to work towards innovative benefit-sharing and capacity-building mechanisms. These could include, for instance, the establishment of a multilateral fund for the equitable sharing of benefits between providers and users of digital sequence information (DSI), which has been agreed to be finalized at CBD COP16 (ref. 44 ).

Importance of microorganisms and deep-sea life for bioprospecting

Marine viruses, although having been recognized as being highly prevalent in ocean ecosystems, contributing to the largest pool of genetic diversity 45 , have seen little commercial activity to date beyond a limited focus on those that affect commercial aquaculture production. However, the potential role of viruses in creating proteins of interest for marine bioprospecting could be bigger than we think. Viruses have shaped the majority of the genomes of Archaea and Bacteria via horizontal gene transfer, the exchange of genetic material between organisms that do not form parent–offspring relationships 46 . Bacterial and archaeal species often live in symbiosis and exchange genes with microbial eukaryotes, protists 47 , and together constitute the vast majority of organisms used in marine bioprospecting. Importantly, many archaeal and bacterial species used in bioprospecting live in deep-sea habitats, most of which are located in ABNJ. The diversity of microbial marine species is still highly underrepresented in databases that document the distribution and abundance of marine life (Box 2 ). This underrepresentation may account for the lack of patenting interest in species found exclusively in ABNJ. However, even with limited data, our findings show that ABNJ-specific species are 2.5 times more likely to inhabit the deep ocean compared with marine species in general.

Our analysis of the past three decades of global gene patents indicates that deep-sea species have become an important source for marine bioprospecting. All of the ten largest actors in marine bioprospecting are already using deep-sea species. As a result, there is a logic for benefit sharing from MGR utilization to flow into conservation projects aimed at protecting at-risk deep-sea habitats 48 , not least as a vital source for future biotechnology focused on innovation and development of naturally derived products. More advanced biodiversity models that put emphasis on safeguarding entire communities with unique functional roles, including microbial species, should also be better integrated into conservation plans 49 .

With the successful conclusion of the High Seas Treaty and the recognition of DSI in the legally binding agreement, MGR used for bioprospecting and product discovery opens a new opportunity to protect biodiversity in deep-sea habitats. However, the INSDC database, the largest data repository of DSI, is currently missing from the biodiversity informatics landscape 50 ; therefore, genetic diversity and information on the spatial origin of genetic information are not available on a global level. Adoption of the principles of Open and Responsible Data Governance and the development of MGR data repositories 51 will be a necessary step to overcome the lack of information on MGR in ABNJ.

Intellectual property questions are not discussed within the High Seas Treaty, yet commercial sensitivities and national patent regulations are important for benefit sharing related to MGR sourced from the deep sea in ABNJ. While the agreed text of the treaty includes a voluntary mechanism to ensure traceability of MGR collected from ABNJ to end product, the treaty implementation will not affect sequences already used in marine bioprospecting up to date. As there are no legal requirements for patent holders to disclose commercialization of their patents, the scale of commercial products developed and marketed from deep-sea organisms will remain poorly understood. A continued increase in corporate interest along current trajectories would lead to unequal opportunities for new developments in biotechnology.

Box 2 A vast sea of unknown microbial diversity in the ocean

Microbial species from all domains of life account for more than 95% of total marine biomass and play a pivotal role in the functioning of marine ecosystems, as a foundational level of food webs, climate regulation elements and the backbone of immense genetic diversity 81 . However, as of November 2022, the OBIS database contains only 499 bacterial ( https://obis.org/taxon/6 ) and 7 archaeal species ( https://obis.org/taxon/8 ). The total diversity of microbial marine species, including those uniquely present in ABNJ, is highly underrepresented. Similarly, the WoRDSS list contains almost no bacteria (18 species) or archaea (3 species) as both databases use WoRMS taxonomy as a backbone, and INSDC and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) taxonomy is not supported as one of the data sources in OBIS.

Thanks to the continuous effort of TARA Oceans, Malaspina, BioGEOTRACES and other projects contributing towards a deeper understanding of microbial diversity, more data have become available to project world map microbial distribution in the global ocean 82 . Some regional diversity studies, including a study in the Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone, have already shown that the molecular diversity of deep-sea species is equivalent to levels found in coral reef ecosystems 83 . Ocean datasets are currently missing a global map of microbial functions 84 . As most marine species listed in patent claims are of microbial origin, our understanding of how many of them are uniquely present in ABNJ is far from complete 20 , 21 , 31 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 57 , 58 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 78 , 79 , 80 .

Multi-stakeholder collaboration in MGR protection

Analysis of bioprospecting patents yielded an asymmetrical distribution of patent registrations, consistent with previous findings 25 , 27 . The sector is dominated by transnational corporations, which have a higher capacity to undertake genomic research. One-third of all patents were held by the ten largest actors, eight of which are large multinational corporations and none of which conduct marine research themselves but instead rely on public gene databases for sequences with potential commercial applications. While many multinational pharmaceutical companies have marine biology departments 52 , their total share of bioprospecting patents is modest (Supplementary Table 3 ). Still, a fair estimate of corporate engagement in marine species discovery is hard to calculate. Marine scientists who study microbial diversity often engage in collaboration with the oil and gas industry for the collection of samples in deep-sea oil wells 53 , 54 . With the rising popularity of using remotely operating vehicles for the inspection and maintenance of offshore oil and gas development sites, it is likely that more science–industry partnerships will emerge to support collection of biological data in the deep sea 55 .

The disproportionate role of a small number of actors also suggests the potential for science–industry collaboration in the spirit of previous efforts with so-called keystone actors, which consists in engaging the largest companies in a given sector to enable transformative change 56 . Constructive efforts to promote sustainable management in ABNJ have also been undertaken by partnerships such as the Deep Seas Project ( https://www.deep-seas.eu ) and the Common Oceans ABNJ Project 57 , as well as regional bodies such as OSPAR Comission, the North East Atlantic Fisheries Comission and the Sargasso Sea Commission 58 , which have addressed challenges related to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and pollution, based on integrated and holistic approaches. The International Seabed Authority, empowered by UNCLOS (Supplementary Text 1 ) to manage the resources of the seabed in ABNJ, has begun to apply tools such as Regional Environmental Management Plans (REMPs) and designated associated Areas of Particular Ecological Interest (APEIs) aimed at conserving ecosystem function and biodiversity. The impact of such measures could be further amplified by seeking a coordinated approach in accordance with overarching environmental goals 59 . Such initiatives can foster cross-sectoral dialogue and capacity-building activities that improve the capacity of national governments and local communities to engage in sustainable resource use in ABNJ.

Corporate efforts to safeguard intellectual property rights, significant data gaps and the heterogeneity of data standards have contributed to the use of ambiguous terminology and a lack of precision in discussions concerning MGR and bioprospecting in ABNJ. This has shaped perceptions of the scale and nature of commercial interest in MGR from ABNJ, feeding expectations of a lucrative ‘deep-sea gold rush’ without adequate empirical support for such claims 60 , 61 . While the conclusion of the High Seas Treaty has laid the foundation for improved management in ABNJ, its entry into force and full implementation are a remote prospect and, in the meantime, voluntary collaborative efforts based on the best available science can help inform future binding mechanisms to ensure conservation and sustainable use. By filling the crucial knowledge gap in understanding the potential of MGR, the MABPAT database represents a first step in that direction.

Summary statistics of patents that include MGR

The GenBank patent division, the European Bioinformatics Institute database (EMBL-EBI) and the DNA DataBank of Japan (DDBJ) exchange their data daily and together form the INSDC. Genetic sequences associated with patents were retrieved from the Patent division of GenBank from the NCBI (GenBank database) on 10 November 2022; this included 24,600,503 annotated sequences. All files (from gbpat1.seq.gz to gbpat254.seq.gz) were downloaded and processed following the methodology of ref. 25 to create database entries with information on the nucleotide sequence of DNA, species name, patent number, patent data and the party registering the patent. This was done by splitting each file into individual sequences and by extracting the data in the ‘origin’ field (nucleotide sequence), ‘organism’ field (species name) and ‘journal’ field (patent application number, year of application, patent system and patent applicant name) for each sequence. Unlike previous studies 25 , 27 that restricted their analysis to sequences submitted in a given patent system, here we considered both patents submitted in national jurisdictions and those filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (‘international’ patents) of WIPO.

As of November 2022, sequences from a total of 14,708 different species were included in the GenBank database. To determine the subset of ‘marine species’ within the database, the taxon match tool of the WoRMS was used for all database entries, resulting in a filtered list of 4,000 species. Web searches were conducted for each of these species to verify the marine origin and to collect further information about the nature of each species. More than half of the matched species were subsequently excluded as non-unique to marine environments, resulting in the list of 1,474 marine species, which was used to select patent records associated with disclosed marine species. See ref. 27 for details of marine origin determination and criteria for filtering.

The taxonomy (domain and phylum) of 879 marine species was retrieved from the WoRMS database. In cases in which such taxonomic levels were not available, we obtained species taxonomy from the NCBI taxonomy database ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/taxonomy ) and Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ ) (220 and 356 species, respectively). We did not succeed in matching 19 of the marine species (predominantly marine bacterial strains) into related taxonomic groups owing to lack of certainty in organism names. The complete list of marine species selected for this study is given in Supplementary Table 5a .

MABPAT construction

Marine biotechnology pipelines usually focus on the search for biological compounds that encode a new functionality 62 . There are two types of nucleotide sequences encoded in DNA: protein-coding sequences and non-coding sequences. The latter could have either a functional or a non-functional role in genome regulation, including DNA fragments that code for proteins involved in all cell functions. Except for short peptides like cone snail peptide toxins 63 , most natural products are derived from proteins, which are polypeptide chains of a certain length. While identifying the shortest polypeptide chain length to form a protein is still controversial, it is currently estimated at 50 (ref. 64 ) to 100 (ref. 65 ) amino acids or 150 to 300 DNA base pairs, respectively.

Another important metric widely used to analyse genome composition variation in molecular biology and genomics is nucleotide usage, which is normally calculated as GC content—the percentage of certain nucleotide bases (guanine and cytosine) that form stronger chemical bonds in DNA strings. Modern genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR 66 have proven to be very useful at enhancing important functions of proteins by altering DNA makeup. This could involve changing individual nucleotides or introducing short sequences that control gene regulation and protein synthesis. Hence, GC content for modified proteins with similar functionality remains the same. Short DNA sequences, below the shortest DNA length required for protein formation, have various functions, including in the amplification of a specific gene sequence (as PCR primers), and usually have a wide range of GC content.

To predict whether genetic sequences are protein coding or not, we applied two filtering criteria: sequence length threshold and the presence of an open reading frame (ORF)—a gene region that has the potential to be transcribed into RNA and, after, translated into proteins. Sequences with an ORF longer than 150 base pairs have been considered protein-coding sequences. As most natural products are derived from proteins, we reason that at least one protein-coding sequence has to be included in a patent application, to be related to marine bioprospecting. Following that, we selected 31,914 protein-coding sequences associated with 1,039 marine species together with 112,115 of other sequences that have been submitted as a part of the same application.

For all companies that have registered patents associated with MGR, we counted the total number of nucleotide sequences and calculated the average sequence length (Fig. 2 ). Based on the shortest protein length estimation, the number of protein-coding or non-coding sequences for each company was identified. In each category, for the ten companies with the highest counts of genetic sequences attached to patent claims, we calculated the length and DNA composition (GC content) of each sequence, and coloured by distinct species origin (Supplementary Fig. 1 ).

For each sequence that was included in patent applications submitted in national jurisdictions as well as ‘international’ patents (sequences of special patenting interest), we collected the description of the invention and the protein function, if a nucleotide sequence search (BlastX) resulted in a significant match to a protein with annotated function. Web searches were conducted for each of these proteins to collect further information about protein function and potential application. The resulting information about the sequences of special patenting interest is available in Supplementary Table 2 .

Patents owned by subsidiaries were replaced with ultimate owner names of controlled subsidiaries as stated in the Orbis company database, which contains information on around 400 million companies worldwide (Orbis; https://orbis.bvdinfo.com/ ). For jointly owned patents, the ownership was assigned to the first company on the list. After filtering and removing duplicate entity names and aggregating subsidiaries, we identified a total of 1,125 applicants and collected information about each through web searches, including the country where it is headquartered and the type of entity that it represents. Our classification resulted in five major entity types: multinational (presence in more than two countries) or national companies, universities and their commercialization centres, governmental agencies and ‘other’ (predominantly applications submitted by private individuals). We also included patent applications from 201 entities that contained protein-coding sequences with identified marine origins, which we were unable to classify under any specific entity type (‘none’).

Each record in the MABPAT database includes the following: (1) patent applicant name, (2) type of applicant, (3) country where it is headquartered, (4) year of application, (5) patent application number, (6) patent system, (7) genetic sequence identification, (8) marine species name associated with the sequence, (9 and 10) species taxonomy, (11) taxonomic source, (12) whether species can be classified as ‘deep-sea’ species, (13) source of deep-sea presence, (14) whether species were observed in ABNJ, (15) genetic sequence, (16) GC content, (17) sequence length, (18) whether the sequence originated from a marine organism, (19) whether the marine origin of the sequence was disclosed by the patent applicant or bioinformatically predicted, (20) whether the sequence contains protein-coding information and (21) sequence prediction source. If the marine origin was predicted, the following information about the most similar protein entry in the reference database is provided: (22) protein entry header, (23) protein entry sequence identification, (24) protein entry title, (25) E -value, (26) hit identity and (27) query coverage.

Deep-sea presence of marine species

The search for presence of species in deep-sea habitats was conducted based on multiple sources. For species in the Eukarya domain of life, we used the WoRDSS, a taxonomic database of deep-sea species. As Bacteria and Archaea species are not present in WoRDSS, we used web search based on the PubMed ( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ ) and Integrated Microbial Genomes and Microbiomes ( https://img.jgi.doe.gov/ ) databases to establish their potential presence in deep-sea habitats, whether within or beyond national jurisdiction. Samples of species collected from deep-sea environments that have already been found to be associated with international patent applications 27 are also marked as ‘deep-sea’ species. For the definition of deep-sea marine species, we followed the inclusion criteria in WoRDSS, that is, that the biological material was sampled in depths greater than 500 m.

BlastX sequence similarity model and patent share estimation

Sequence similarity models are widely used to identify newly sequenced data or unknown species 67 . To conduct sequence similarity BlastX searches (translated nucleotide versus protein) against the database of annotated protein sequences, we created the reference database of all proteins belonging to 627 genera of previously confirmed marine species in Supplementary Table 5a . A total of 24,024,531 proteins from all species within those genera were selected from UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot; UniProt Consortium 2023) which included Swiss-Prot (the expertly curated protein records) and TrEMBL (bioinformatically predicted proteins).

BlastX searches with a specific set of search parameters ( E -value ≤ 10 −5 , query coverage ≥ 80%, hit identity ≥ 99%) were used to verify that marine sequences could be identified to a genus level with at least 95% confidence (correct hit) (Supplementary Fig. 3a ). We also tested whether correct hits and searches with confidence below 95% tend to be included in certain patent applications, patented by certain actors or in certain patent systems, but did not find any preference (Supplementary Fig. 3b,c ). Using the sequence search tool DIAMOND 68 , we queried 12,716 protein-coding sequences with disclosed marine origin against the selected records from UniProtKB, which resulted in 10,514 correct hits (82.68% recovery rate).

We then queried 7,467,396 sequences with unknown taxonomic origin (‘unknown’, ‘unidentified’ and ‘synthetic construct’ species tag)—62.7% of all GenBank records—against the selected records from UniProtKB, and found 234,836 sequences originating from 1,368 species not previously disclosed in patent records. All matched species were subsequently verified to be exclusively present in marine habitats, resulting in a final list of 561 additional marine species (Supplementary Table 5b ). Overall, we have recovered 60,636 previously unknown protein-coding sequences with marine origin and 144,545 other sequences that have been submitted as a part of the same patent application (2,257 patent applications in total).

Finally, we compared summary statistics (number of sequences, number of patents and median year of application) for the top 10 largest patent applicants that referenced sequences with disclosed marine origin and top 10 applicants that referenced sequences with predicted marine origin (Supplementary Figs. 4 and 5 , respectively), and found that both lists contained the two largest patent applicants (Bayer and BASF, respectively).

Hydrothermal vent presence and ABNJ-unique species counts

The geolocation of hydrothermal vents was collected from the InterRidge Vents Database. The maritime boundary map of World High Seas was downloaded from Marine Regions ( https://marineregions.org/ ). Each set of hydrothermal vent coordinates was checked for presence within any of the High Seas polygons. Spatial vector data were analysed with the R package sf version 1.0-9 (ref. 69 ).

To establish the list of species uniquely present in ABNJ, we used species geographical abundance data from OBIS. We first retrieved all 28,375 species with at least one occurrence record in ABNJ ( https://obis.org/area/1 ). For each ABNJ-present species, we checked if it was also observed in the territorial waters of any country. Species with at least one occurrence record were excluded. Data were obtained from the OBIS database (2022) using the R package robis version 2.11.0. (ref. 70 ) and parallel version 3.6.2. (ref. 71 ).

Reporting summary

Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article.

Data availability

Data were collected from publicly available data sources: INSDC ( ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/genbank/ ) 72 , UniProtKB 73 , WoRMS ( https://www.marinespecies.org ) 74 , WoRDSS 75 , PubMed ( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ) and the Integrated Microbial Genomes and Microbiomes database ( https://img.jgi.doe.gov ). Species observation records were obtained from OBIS ( https://obis.org ). The geolocations of hydrothermal vents were collected from the InterRidge Vents database ( http://vents-data.interridge.org ) 76 . The maritime boundaries map of World High Seas was downloaded from Marine Regions (World EEZ v.11) ( https://marineregions.org ). The resulting MABPAT database is available at https://mabpat.shinyapps.io/main and via figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25289404.v3 (ref. 77 ).

Code availability

Analysis scripts are available via GitHub at https://github.com/zhivkoplias/mabpat .

Falkinham, J. O. et al. Proliferation of antibiotic-producing bacteria and concomitant antibiotic production as the basis for the antibiotic activity of Jordan’s red soils. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75 , 2735–2741 (2009).

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Cragg, G. M. & Pezzuto, M. Natural products as a vital source for the discovery of cancer chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive agents. Med Princ. Pract. 25 , 41–59 (2016).

Article   Google Scholar  

Hournan, P. C. H., Hertog, M. G. L. & Katanc, M. B. Analysis and health effects of flavonoids. Food Chem. 57 , 43–46 (1996).

Achan, J. et al. Quinine, an old anti-malarial drug in a modern world: role in the treatment of malaria. Malar. J. 10 , 144 (2011).

Shah, Z. et al. Podophyllotoxin: history, recent advances and future prospects. Biomolecules 11 , 603 (2021).

Atanasov, A. G. et al. Natural products in drug discovery: advances and opportunities. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 20 , 200–216 (2021).

Sigwart, J. D. et al. Unlocking the potential of marine biodiscovery. Nat. Prod. Rep. 38 , 1235–1242 (2021).

Beraldi-Campesi, H. Early life on land and the first terrestrial ecosystems. Ecol. Process. 2 , 1 (2013).

Román-Palacios, C., Moraga-López, D. & Wiens, J. J. The origins of global biodiversity on land, sea and freshwater. Ecol. Lett. 25 , 1376–1386 (2022).

Appeltans, W. et al. The magnitude of global marine species diversity. Curr. Biol. 22 , 2189–2202 (2012).

Eguíluz, V. M. et al. Scaling of species distribution explains the vast potential marine prokaryote diversity. Sci. Rep. 9 , 18710 (2019).

Gerwick, W. H. & Moore, B. S. Lessons from the past and charting the future of marine natural products drug discovery and chemical biology. Chem. Biol. 19 , 85–98 (2012).

Blasiak, R. et al. A forgotten element of the blue economy: marine biomimetics and inspiration from the deep sea. PNAS Nexus 1 , pgac196 (2022).

Carroll, A. R., Copp, B. R., Davis, R. A., Keyzers, R. A. & Prinsep, M. R. Marine natural products. Nat. Prod. Rep. 38 , 362–413 (2021).

Blasiak, R. et al. Making marine biotechnology work for people and nature. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 7 , 482–485 (2023).

Li, B. et al. Preparation of lactose-free pasteurized milk with a recombinant thermostable β-glucosidase from Pyrococcus furiosus . BMC Biotechnol. 13 , 73 (2013).

Aesoy, R. & Herfindal, L. in Principles of Cancer Treatment and Anticancer Drug Development (ed. Link, W.) 137–139 (Springer International Publishing, 2022).

Chalfie, M., Tu, Y., Euskirchen, G., Ward, W. W. & Prasher, D. C. Green fluorescent protein as a marker for gene expression. Science 263 , 802–805 (1994).

Wynberg, R. & Laird, S. A. Fast science and sluggish policy: the Herculean task of regulating biodiscovery. Trends Biotechnol. 36 , 1–3 (2018).

Convention on Biological Diversity (Secretariat of the CBD, UN Environment Programme, 2011); https://www.cbd.int/convention/text

Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (Secretariat of the CBD, UN Environment Programme, 2011); https://www.cbd.int/abs/text

UN General Assembly. Draft Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction ; https://www.un.org/bbnj/sites/www.un.org.bbnj/files/draft_agreement_advanced_unedited_for_posting_v1.pdf (2023).

Oldham, P., Hall, S. & Barnes, C. Patent Landscape Report on Animal Genetic Resources (World Intellectual Property Organization, 2014); https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_947_3.pdf

Scholz, A. H. et al. Myth-busting the provider-user relationship for digital sequence information. Gigascience 10 , giab085 (2021).

Arnaud-Haond, S., Arrieta, J. M. & Duarte, C. M. Marine biodiversity and gene patents. Science 331 , 1521–1522 (2011).

Arrieta, J. M., Arnaud-Haond, S. & Duarte, C. M. What lies underneath: conserving the oceans’ genetic resources. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 107 , 18318–18324 (2010).

Blasiak, R., Jouffray, J.-B., Wabnitz, C. C. C., Sundström, E. & Österblom, H. Corporate control and global governance of marine genetic resources. Sci. Adv. 4 , eaar5237 (2018).

Blasiak, R., Jouffray, J.-B., Wabnitz, C. C. C. & Österblom, H. Scientists should disclose origin in marine gene patents. Trends Ecol. Evol. 34 , 392–395 (2019).

Katz, L. & Baltz, R. H. Natural product discovery: past, present, and future. J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 43 , 155–176 (2016).

Jaspars, M. et al. The marine biodiscovery pipeline and ocean medicines of tomorrow. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. 96 , 151–158 (2016).

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Version 2024-1 (IUCN, 2022).

Van Dover, C. L. et al. Scientific rationale and international obligations for protection of active hydrothermal vent ecosystems from deep-sea mining. Mar. Policy 90 , 20–28 (2018).

Khan, I., Akmal, K. F., Chong, W. S., Maran, B. A. V. & Shah, M. D. in Marine Biotechnology: Applications in Food, Drugs and Energy (eds Shah, M. D. et al.) Ch. 1 (Springer Nature, 2023).

Hasan, I. et al. The innovation–economic growth nexus: global evidence. Res. Policy 39 , 1264–1276 (2010).

Lara-Lopez, A., Valdés, L., de Pinho, R. & Enevoldsen, H. In Global Ocean Science Report 2020: Charting Capacity for Ocean Sustainability (ed. Isensee, K.) 135–173 (UNESCO Publishing, 2020).

Haščič, I. et al. Public Interventions and Private Climate Finance Flows: Empirical Evidence from Renewable Energy Financing ; OECD Environment Working Papers no. 80 (2015).

Guellec, D., Martinez, C. & Zuniga, M. P. Pre-emptive patenting: securing market exclusion and freedom of operation. Econ. Innov. New Technol. 21 , 1–29 (2012).

Gurgula, O. Strategic patenting by pharmaceutical companies—should competition law intervene? IIC Int. Rev. Ind. Prop. Copyr. Law 51 , 1062–1085 (2020).

Google Scholar  

Hall, B. H., Jaffe, A. & Trajtenberg, M. Market value and patent citations. RAND J. Econ. 36 , 16–38 (2005).

Adams, J. N. in Research Handbook on Patent Law and Theory (ed. Takenaka, T.) Ch. 1, 2–26 (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019).

Jefferson, O. A., Köllhofer, D., Ajjikuttira, P. & Jefferson, R. A. Public disclosure of biological sequences in global patent practice. World Pat. Inf. 43 , 12–24 (2015).

Standard ST.26: Recommended Standard for the Presentation of Nucleotide and Amino Acid Sequence Listings Using XML (Extensible Markup Language) (WIPO, 2023); https://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/standards/en/pdf/03-26-01.pdf

Spatio-Temporal Annotation Policy (INSDC, 2021); https://www.insdc.org/news/spatio-temporal-annotation-policy-18-11-2021/

COP15: Nations Adopt Four Goals, 23 Targets for 2030 in Landmark UN Biodiversity Agreement (Secretariat of the CBD, UN Environment Programme, 2022); https://www.cbd.int/article/cop15-cbd-press-release-final-19dec2022

Suttle, C. Marine viruses—major players in the global ecosystem. Nat. Rev. Microbiol . 5 , 801–812 (2007).

Sobecky, P. A. & Hazen, T. H. Horizontal gene transfer and mobile genetic elements in marine systems. Methods Mol. Biol. 532 , 435–53, (2009).

Husnik, F. et al. Bacterial and archaeal symbioses with protists. Curr. Biol. 31 , 862–877 (2021).

Cordes, E. E. & Levin, L. A. Exploration before exploitation. Science 359 , 719 (2018).

Pollock, L. J. et al. Protecting biodiversity (in all its complexity): new models and methods. Trends Ecol. Evol. 35 , 1119–1128 (2020).

Bingham, H. et al. The biodiversity informatics landscape: elements, connections and opportunities. Res. Ideas Outcomes 3 , e14059 (2017).

Oldham, P., Chiarolla, C. & Thambisetty, S. Digital Sequence Information in the UN High Seas Treaty: Insights from the Global Biodiversity Framework-related Decisions ; LSE Law School Policy Briefing Series 53/2023. Available at SSRN https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4343130 (2023).

Trevisanut, S. & Bonfanti, A. Intellectual Property Rights Beyond National Jurisdiction: Outlining a Regime for Patenting Products Based on Marine Genetic Resources of the Deep-Sea Bed and High Sea. Available at SSRN https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1861020 (2011).

Alexander, J. B. et al. Complementary molecular and visual sampling of fish on oil and gas platforms provides superior biodiversity characterisation. Mar. Environ. Res. 179 , 105692 (2022).

Franco, N. R. et al. Bacterial composition and diversity in deep-sea sediments from the southern Colombian Caribbean Sea. Diversity 13 , 10 (2020).

McLean, D. L. et al. Enhancing the scientific value of industry remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in our oceans. Front. Mar. Sci. 7 , 00220 (2020).

Österblom, H. et al. Scientific mobilization of keystone actors for biosphere stewardship. Sci. Rep. 12 , 3802 (2022).

The Common Oceans: ABNJ Deep Seas Project (FAO, 2018); https://www.fao.org/3/CA2245EN/ca2245en.pdf

Wright, G. & Rochette, J. Regional Ocean Governance of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: Lessons Learnt and Ways Forward (STRONG High Seas Project, 2019); https://www.prog-ocean.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/STRONG-HS_Lessons-Learnt-Report.pdf

Amon, D. J. et al. Assessment of scientific gaps related to the effective environmental management of deep-seabed mining. Mar. Policy 138 , 105006 (2022).

Leary, D. & Juniper, S. K. in The Limits of Maritime Jurisdiction (eds Schofield, C. et al.) Ch. 34, 769–785 (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2014).

Leary, D. Marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction: do we need to regulate them in a new agreement? Marit. Saf. Secur. Law J. 5 , 22–47 (2018).

Rotter, A. et al. The essentials of marine biotechnology. Front. Mar. Sci. 8 , 629629 (2021).

Terlau, H. & Olivera, B. M. Conus venoms: a rich source of novel ion channel-targeted peptides. Physiol. Rev. 84 , 41–68 (2004).

Woolfson, D. N., Baker, E. G. & Bartlett, G. J. How do miniproteins fold? Science 357 , 133–134 (2017).

Brunet, M. A., Leblanc, S. & Roucou, X. Reconsidering proteomic diversity with functional investigation of small ORFs and alternative ORFs. Exp. Cell Res. 393 , 112057 (2020).

Zhang, F., Wen, Y. & Guo, X. CRISPR/Cas9 for genome editing: progress, implications and challenges. Hum. Mol. Genet. 23 , 40–46 (2014).

Pearson, W. R. An introduction to sequence similarity (“homology”) searching. Curr. Protoc. Bioinformatics Chapter 3 , 3.1.1–3.1.8 (2013).

Buchfink, B., Xie, C. & Huson, D. Fast and sensitive protein alignment using DIAMOND. Nat. Methods 12 , 59–60 (2015).

Pebesma, E. Simple features for R: standardized support for spatial vector data. R J. 10 , 439 (2018).

Provoost, P., Bosch, S. & Best, B. iobis/robis: robis 2.11.0. Zenodo https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.1489948 (2022).

parallel: support for Parallel computation in R. R version 3.6.2 https://rdocumentation.org/packages/parallel/versions/3.6.2

Arita, M. et al. The international nucleotide sequence database collaboration. Nucleic Acids Res. 49 , D121–D124 (2021).

The Uniprot Consortium. UniProt: the Universal Protein Knowledgebase in 2023. Nucleic Acids Res . 51 , D523–D531 (2023).

World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS Editorial Board, accessed 15 November 2022); https://doi.org/10.14284/170

Glover, A. G., Higgs, N. & Horton, T. World Register of Deep-Sea Species (WoRDSS) (accessed 15 November 2022); https://doi.org/10.14284/352

Beaulieu, S. E. & Szafranski, K. InterRidge Global Database of Active Submarine Hydrothermal Vent Fields Version 3.4 (InterRidge, accessed 1 February 2023).

Zhivkoplias, E. MArine Bioprospecting PATent dataset. figshare https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25289404.v3 (2024).

How much does a patent cost? BlueIron (16 January 2022); https://blueironip.com/how-much-does-a-patent-cost

Butamax, Gevo settle patent dispute. Biomass Magazine (24 August 2015); https://biomassmagazine.com/articles/butamax-gevo-settle-patent-dispute-12339

Gevo acquires Butamax patent estate. Yahoo Finance (23 September 2021); https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gevo-acquires-butamax-patent-estate-130000249.html

Abida, H. et al. Bioprospecting marine plankton. Mar. Drugs 11 , 4594–4611 (2013).

Delmont, T. O. et al. Functional repertoire convergence of distantly related eukaryotic plankton lineages abundant in the sunlit ocean. Cell Genom. 2 , 100123 (2022).

Haward, M. G. & Rogers, A. D. Marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction: promoting marine scientific research and enabling equitable benefit sharing. Front. Mar. Sci. 8 , 667274 (2021).

Tara Ocean Foundation, T. O. & Oceans, T. Priorities for ocean microbiome research. Nat. Microbiol. 7 , 937–947 (2022).

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank D. Khvostovetc for providing valuable consultancy in the Patent Cooperation Treaty and European Patent Convention. E.Z., A.P. and R.B. are funded by FORMAS, project number 2020-01048. A.P. is also funded by FORMAS, project number 2019-01220. P.D. is funded by the Research Platform Governance of Digital Practices at the University of Vienna. J.-B.J. is funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (2021.0343).

Open access funding provided by Stockholm University.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

Erik Zhivkoplias, Jean-Baptiste Jouffray, Agnes Pranindita & Robert Blasiak

Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford, CA, USA

Jean-Baptiste Jouffray

Research Platform Governance of Digital Practices, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Paul Dunshirn

Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

Agnes Pranindita

Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Robert Blasiak

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

E.Z. and A.P. collected the raw data. E.Z., J.-B.J. and R.B. designed the research and analysed the data. E.Z., P.D., J.-B.J. and R.B. wrote the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Erik Zhivkoplias .

Ethics declarations

Competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information.

Nature Sustainability thanks Peter McGarvey and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Supplementary information.

Supplementary Text 1 and 2, Figs. 1–8 and Tables 1–5.

Reporting Summary

Rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Zhivkoplias, E., Jouffray, JB., Dunshirn, P. et al. Growing prominence of deep-sea life in marine bioprospecting. Nat Sustain 7 , 1027–1037 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01392-w

Download citation

Received : 03 July 2023

Accepted : 25 June 2024

Published : 08 August 2024

Issue Date : August 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01392-w

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

The College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies is the state’s premier marine and maritime destination, with internationally renowned faculty and programs tailored to your passion for the coast and sea. Located on Texas A&M’s island campus in a vibrant coastal community, you’ll have an ocean of possibilities at your doorstep.

Dive Into a Lifetime of Adventure

Whether above, below or on the water, you’ll find a second home with students who share your personal and career interests while getting a world-class education and unparalleled hands-on experiences.

Undergraduate Admissions

There are multiple admissions pathways to attend the College of Marine Science and Maritime Studies as an undergraduate student.

Graduate Admissions

Discover our uniquely-positioned graduate programs and learn about the admissions process.

Discover Where You Belong

We are located on Texas A&M’s Galveston Campus, a hub of marine, coastal and maritime excellence in the vibrant coastal community of Galveston, Texas. Here we have direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, Houston and Galveston ports, shipping lanes, estuaries, and coastlines, which serve as our natural laboratories for hands-on learning, training and research.

Undergraduate Programs

We offer more than ten undergraduate programs spanning marine science, engineering, business and logistics, transportation and liberal arts that make the most of our location with immersive experiences and rigorous classroom engagement. Four of our degree programs can be combined with a U.S. Coast Guard license through the Texas A&M Maritime Academy to expand your earnings and opportunities.

Graduate Programs

Our graduate programs explore the economic, social, political, and ecological aspects of our oceans and coasts, aiming to enhance understanding, stewardship, and sustainability of these vital resources. All graduate programs can be combined with a U.S. Coast Guard license through the Texas A&M Maritime Academy to support your career goals.

Education Abroad

Discover new cultures, build a global network and enrich your education through over 400 education abroad programs.

Academic Departments

Our seven departments are home to pioneers, researchers and educators at the top of their field. With a strong focus on immersive experiences, we are making a difference in real-world problems that impact marine wildlife and resources, coastal communities, maritime industries and urban infrastructure.

Supporting Your Success

Our talented advisors and academic coaching staff are here to empower you to achieve your academic goals. As part of the Galveston Campus Center for Academic Learning Support, they are your partner in exploring your interests and able to connect you with the support you need for academic success.

Texas A&M Maritime Academy

We support the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, one of six state maritime academies in the nation, through our programs that combine an undergraduate or graduate degree with a U.S. Coast Guard license to serve as civilian officers on commercial ocean-going vessels or serve in the armed services. These licenses prepare graduates for research, industry and maritime service throughout the world. The academy also supports the U.S. Navy through leadership and training programs to prepare you for active or reserve duty.

U.S. Coast Guard License Programs

• Undergraduate U.S. Coast Guard License Programs
• Graduate U.S. Coast Guard License Programs
• Naval Reserve Officer Training
• Strategic Sealift
• Drill & Ceremony

Sea Aggie One Stop

Your one-stop for all admissions, business, scholarships, financial aid and student business services. Calculate the cost of attendance, find scholarships and more!

Connect With Us

Interested in Aggieland by the Sea? By submitting the form below, you'll receive information about undergraduate admissions, invitations to special events, announcements, and how the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies is a place to discover, learn and explore.

There's an acidic zone 13,000 feet beneath the ocean surface — and it's getting bigger

The carbonate compensation depth — a zone where high pressure and low temperature creates conditions so acidic it dissolves shell and skeleton — could make up half of the global ocean by the end of the century.

In the deepest parts of the ocean , below 13,100 feet (4,000 metres), the combination of high pressure and low temperature creates conditions that dissolve calcium carbonate, the material marine animals use to make their shells.

This zone is known as the carbonate compensation depth — and it is expanding.

This contrasts with the widely discussed ocean acidification of surface waters due to the ocean absorbing carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.

But the two are linked: because of rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the ocean, its pH is decreasing (becoming more acidic), and the deep-sea area in which calcium carbonate dissolves is growing, from the seafloor up.

The transition zone within which calcium carbonate increasingly becomes chemically unstable and begins to dissolve is called the lysocline. Because the ocean seabed is relatively flat, even a rise of the lysocline by a few metres can rapidly lead to large under-saturated (acidic) areas.

Our research showed this zone has already risen by nearly 100 metres since pre-industrial times and will likely rise further by several hundreds of metres this century.

Millions of square kilometres of ocean floor will potentially undergo a rapid transition whereby calcareous sediment will become chemically unstable and dissolve.

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Expanding boundaries

The upper limit of the lysocline transition zone is known as the calcite saturation depth, above which seabed sediments are rich in calcium carbonate and ocean water is supersaturated with it. The calcite compensation depth is its lower limit, below which seabed sediments contain little or no carbonate minerals.

RELATED: Alaska's rivers are turning bright orange and as acidic as vinegar as toxic metal escapes from melting permafrost

The area below the calcite compensation depth varies greatly between different sectors of the oceans. It already occupies about 41% of the global ocean. Since the industrial revolution, this zone has risen for all parts of the ocean, varying from almost no rise in the western Indian Ocean to more than 980 feet (300 m) in the northwest Atlantic.

If the calcite compensation depth rises by a further 980 feet, the area of seafloor below it will increase by 10% to occupy 51% of the global ocean .

Distinct habitats

For the first time, a recent study showed the calcite compensation depth is a biological boundary with distinct habitats above and below it. In the northeast Pacific, the most abundant seabed organisms above the calcite compensation depth are soft corals, brittle stars, mussels, sea snails, chitons and bryozoans, all of which have calcified shells or skeletons.

However, below the calcite compensation depth, sea anemones, sea cucumbers and octopus are more abundant. This under-saturated (more acidic) habitat already limits life in 54.4 million square miles (141 million square kilometres) of the ocean and could expand by another 13.5 million square miles (35 million sq/km) if the calcite compensation depth were to rise by 980 feet.

In addition to the expansion of the calcite compensation depth, parts of the ocean in low latitudes are losing species because the water is getting too warm and oxygen levels are declining , both also due to climate change.

Thus, the most liveable habitat space for marine species is shrinking from the bottom (rising calcite compensation depth) and the top (warming).

Island nations most affected

— Heat waves are hitting the deep ocean floor, with potentially catastrophic results

— 'We are approaching the tipping point': Marker for the collapse of key Atlantic current discovered

— 19 'mass extinctions' had CO2 levels we're now veering toward, study warns

The exclusive economic zones of some countries will be more affected than others. Generally, oceanic and island nations lose more, while countries with large continental shelves lose proportionately less.

Bermuda's EEZ is predicted to be the most affected by a 980-feet rise of the calcite compensation depth above the present level, with 68% of that country's seabed becoming submerged below the lysocline. In contrast, only 6% of the US EEZ and 0.39% of the Russian EEZ are predicted to be impacted.

From a global perspective, it is remarkable that already 41% of the deep sea is effectively acidic, that half may be by the end of the century, and that the first study showing its effects of marine life was only published in the past year.

This edited article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

Tonga eruption entombed deep-sea life in ash

Earth from space: 'River of tea' bleeds into sea after Hurricane Sally smashes into US coast

Last meal of crocodile mummified in ancient Egypt revealed in CT scans 3,000 years later

Most Popular

• 2 Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 running headphones review
• 3 Silky anteater: The tiny, boxing ball of fur
• 4 These 'living computers' are made from human neurons — and you can rent one for $500 a month
• 5 New ISS images showcase auroras, moon and space station in glorious photos

More From Forbes

Meet the disturbing parasite that eats—and becomes—tongues.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Imagine a small, otherworldly looking crustacean that invades its host, devours its tongue and then ... [+] anatomically takes its place. It's not science fiction.

It might sound like something out of a horror movie plot (because it sort of is ), but the tongue-replacing parasite is very real. The movie imagines mutated parasites taking over the bodies of humans to wreak havoc on an idyllic town. Breathe easy, though—in reality, Cymothoa exigua , the parasitic isopod in question, only targets fish.

Commonly known as the tongue-eating louse, it measures only about 0.3-1.1 inches in length, but its appearance is unsettling. They have segmented bodies with seven pairs of legs adapted for gripping and tearing, and their bodies are covered in a hard exoskeleton, giving them a somewhat alien-like look.

These parasites are prevalent in warm coastal waters and can be found from the Gulf of California southward to the north of the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Despite its gruesome modus operandi, this little creature offers a fascinating glimpse into the complexities of parasitism and adaptation in the animal kingdom.

The Intriguing Life Cycle Of Cymothoa exigua

The tongue-eating louse begins as a free-swimming juvenile, searching for a suitable fish host. Once it finds one, typically a snapper, it enters through the gills and attaches itself to the fish’s tongue.

The louse then uses its sharp dactyli (or “claws”) to cut off the blood supply to the tongue, causing it to wither and die. However, this isn’t the end for the fish; the louse then attaches itself to the remaining tissue and effectively takes over as the fish’s new tongue, feeding on its blood and mucus.

UFC 305 Results: Fighter Goes Viral With ‘Outrageous’ Head Knot

Nyt ‘strands’ hints, spangram and answers for sunday, august 18th, today’s nyt mini crossword clues and answers for sunday, august 17.

This might strike you as cruel, but it’s a highly specialized survival strategy. By replacing the fish’s tongue, the louse ensures a stable environment with a constant food supply. And in most cases, the fish can continue to live and feed normally, albeit with a new and unusual appendage.

The Tongue-Eating Louse Is One Of Its Kind—Here’s Why

What sets Cymothoa exigua apart from other parasites is its method of sustenance. Unlike typical blood-feeding parasites, this louse is the only known case where the parasite anatomically replaces a host’s organ, according to a 2019 paper published in BMC Ecology and Evolution .

Here's what it looks like when the louse replaces a fish's tongue.

While other parasites may seem like they could be doing something similar, they don’t quite cross the line into full organ replacement.

For instance, the parasitic barnacle Sacculina carcini invades crabs and takes over their reproductive systems. It doesn’t replace the organs entirely but instead hijacks them, forcing the crab to care for the parasite’s larvae as if they were its own. The barnacle manipulates the host’s behavior and physiology but doesn’t serve as a direct functional substitute for the reproductive organs.

Another example is the lancet liver fluke ( Dicrocoelium dendriticum ), which infects the brains of ants, altering their behavior to increase the likelihood that they will be eaten by grazing animals. While the fluke exerts a strong influence over the ant’s actions, it doesn’t replace any part of the ant’s body—it manipulates rather than substitutes.

These are ingenious strategies, but neither parasite actually becomes a part of the host in the same way that Cymothoa exigua becomes a fish’s tongue. The louse’s ability to not just destroy but to replace an organ makes it a truly unique and terrifying example of parasitic adaptation in the animal kingdom.

The Host Fishes (Mostly) Turn Out Okay, But Human Activities Could Exacerbate Things

If several of these lice attach themselves to a host fish, there’s some—if dated—evidence to show that the host could become underweight. That’s nature, though.

Here’s the real sad part: There’s a pretty good chance that commercial fishing is driving these fishes further into malnourishment territory.

Ceratothoa italica , a blood-sucking cousin of the tongue-eating louse, is more than 60% likely to infect fishes in overfished waters versus protected waters, according to a 2012 paper published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society . The study also found that the infected fishes in overfished waters were more malnourished than their protected-water counterparts.

So while the tongue-eating louse may seem like an aberration of nature, the paper still serves as a reminder that human activities often result in far more devastating consequences.

Parasites like Cymothoa exigua, on the other hand, play a crucial role in their ecosystems, often regulating host populations and maintaining ecological balance. Our understanding of them has barely scratched the surface—there’s more to learn about the specifics of its reproductive cycle, for instance—and their existence will continue to challenge our understanding of symbiosis, parasitism and the delicate interplay between different species.

How does the part about our overfishing and how it effectively worsens the condition of parasite-infected fish make you feel? If you’re curious about your relationship with nature, take this test: Connectedness To Nature Scale

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.