Research impact
Climate change
Conservation
New £4 million project to better predict response of Southern Ocean to climate change
University of Exeter researchers are involved in a new £4 million research project that will help predict the effects of climate change on the Southern Ocean...
Large-scale study reveals new insights into coral and symbiotic algae partnership
A large-scale study of Caribbean coral has yielded discoveries on the pairing process between an endangered coral and the microscopic symbiotic algae they rely on for survival.
Scientists awarded nearly £1 million to protect England’s sharks
University of Exeter scientists have been awarded almost £1 million to lead a major new project investigating the movement, breeding grounds and conservation status of three of England’s most vulnerable shark species.
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Sea turtle populations boosted by conservation research
Gadgets that emit small electrical pulses can drastically cut the number of sharks and stingrays caught accidentally on fishing lines, new research shows.
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New alliance to protect Atlantic’s leatherback turtles
The Wilkes Atlantic Leatherback Turtle Alliance comprising of leading researchers and conservation experts has mobilised to safeguard the Atlantic Ocean’s leatherback turtle populations.
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Microplastics
There are more than 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the world’s oceans. An estimated 10 per cent of the plastics we produce end up in the sea. Researchers from the University of Exeter are leading the way in investigating the effect this has on marine life and calling for plastic microbeads to be removed from cosmetics.
Ban on microbeads in cosmetics
The University of Exeter's Professor Tamara Galloway welcomed a ban on the use of microbeads in cosmetics following evidence she gave to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee.
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Producing educational resources
A full set of GCSE science educational resources on marine microplastics have been produced by researchers from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory working with Digital Explorer and Snowline Productions.
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Whale social behaviour
Work on social behaviour and life history evolution in killer whales has given new insight into the evolution of menopause.
Killer whale study sheds light on evolution of menopause
Research has provided an insight into why women continue to live long after the menopause by showing that female killer whales survive after menopause because they help their family members find food during hard times.
Killer whales make seaweed ‘tools’
Killer whales have been seen detaching lengths of seaweed and using them to massage each other – the first evidence of tool-making by marine mammals.