EXPEDITIONS
Greenpeace expedition uncovers new species in Arctic deep
On 05 June, Oceanographic Magazine reported on month-long Greenpeace expedition in the Arctic Ocean. The expedition discovered previously unseen deep-sea ecosystems and potential new species along the Arctic Mid -Ocean Ridge. During the expedition, the team deployed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to survey seamounts and hydrothermal vent fields 3,000 metres below the surface. Researchers documented bamboo coral forests, sponge gardens and collected over 400 sponge samples, with scientists believing at least three may represent species previously unknown to science. Experts warned that the findings reinforced the need for long-term protection of the region, particularly as Norway had opened parts of the surveyed area to potential deep-sea mining before pausing the decision until at least 2029. Greenpeace is now calling for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining and for atleast 30 per cent of the world’s oceans to be protected by 2030, with the expedition’s scientific data expected to support those efforts.
("Scientists uncover hidden worlds in the Arctic deep," Oceanographic, 05 June 2026)

BIODIVERSITY
Rainstorms physically trap jellyfish below the ocean surface
On 05 June, Oceanographic Magazine reported on researchers from Kiel University (CAU) discovering heavy rainfall which creates an invisible physical barrier in coastal waters. This rainfall traps jellyfish and other marine life below the ocean surface. After a tropical downpour in Florida’s Everglades National Park, box jellyfish had abruptly disappeared from the surface. The study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, found that when fresh rainwater sits atop denser saltwater, it creates a halocline. Halocline is a sharp density boundary that generates a phenomenon called stratification drag, which physically anchors swimming jellyfish upward in place regardless of how hard they swim. Scientists warned that as climate change intensifies ocean stratification globally, weaker swimmers, including larvae and zooplankton, could increasingly find themselves barred from upper ocean layers, with potential long-term consequences for marine food webs and the ocean's biological carbon pump.
("Rainstorms create invisible ceilings which trap jellyfish, study finds," Oceanographic Magazine, 05 June 2026)

Scientists map biodiversity of Indonesia’s remote seamounts
On 03 June, Oceanographic Magazine reported on a three week expedition organised by the team of researchers from Indonesian institutions and the University of Rhode Island (URI) in Indonesia. The expedition was organised by Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency ( BRIN), to gather baseline biodiversity data from some of Indonesia’s most tropical seamounts, underwater mountain ranges that can serve as major biodiversity hotspots by altering ocean circulation. Using remotely operated vehicles, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling and traditional DNA barcoding, the team collected biological samples across multiple depths to study how animal communities vary from summit to deeper slopes. The expedition also found that certain phytoplankton above the seamounts may be correlated with harmful algal blooms, suggesting the seamounts could be acting as reservoirs that seed blooms before they reach coastal waters, which is a finding the researchers plan to investigate further. 
("Expedition maps biodiversity of Indonesia’s seamounts," Oceanographic Magazine, 03 June 2026)

GEOPOLITICS
Trump administration plans to decomission OOI and, to remove 900 deep-sea climate sensors
On 02 June, Oceanographic Magazine reported that the Trump administration is decommissioning the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). OOI was USD 370 million deep-sea sensor network that has provided real-time climate data to global researchers since 2016. National Science Foundation (NSF) announcing it would begin removing more than 900 instruments from the ocean floors of Oregon, Washington State, Alaska, North Carolina and the Irminger Sea this June. The shutdown follows recommendations in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 blueprint, which had explicitly targeted the network’s climate research. Despite Congress blocking proposed 80 per cent funding cuts in both 2025 and 2026, the NSF proceeded with decommissioning. Scientists condemned the decision, warning that the loss of the network which tracked critical phenomena, including changes to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) and marine heat waves, would leave global researchers without irreplaceable real-time data and set back US scientific leadership. 
("Trump dismantles critical ocean-floor observation network," Oceanographic Magazine, 02 June 2026)

UK fishing vessel ownership gaps enable illegal fishing
On 02 June, Oceanographic Magazine reported on a new report by environmental law organisation ClientEarth finding that over three-quarters of the UK’s largest commercial fishing vessels operate under untraceable or highly obscured ownership structures. These vessels ownership found to be entirely untraceable in 39 per cent of cases and highly difficult to determine in a further 37 per cent. The report, titled "Whose Boat Is This," warned that existing regulations allow vessel owners to hide behind complex corporate structures and shell companies, masking the true Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) of vessels and creating conditions conducive to illegal fishing, organised crime and sanctions evasion. ClientEarth recommended requiring UBO disclosure at vessel registration and licensing stages, lowering ownership thresholds to prevent concealment, and publishing ownership data in a publicly accessible register to strengthen enforcement and protect law-abiding UK fishers from unfair competition.
("Opaque regulations create systemic blind spot ripe for illegal fishing - Oceanographic," Oceanographic Magazine, 02 June 2026)