Unit News

Research shows that coral reefs are retreating from equatorial waters and establishing new reefs in more temperate regions.

OIST marine scientists discover asexual reproduction in the coral Pocillopora acuta — a first-time observation for the species in Okinawa.

New research points to a possible mutually beneficial relationship between photosynthetic algae and their planktonic hosts.

Larval dispersal from hydrothermal vent fields quantified in order to understand and protect the creatures found there.

Mary Grossmann studied microorganisms during three typhoons to figure out what happened to the ocean’s tiny creatures when the waters churn.

Yuichi Nakajima decodes barnacle genetics to understand how climate change impacts the deep ocean.

In a cooperative effort with the local fishermen, OIST researchers are studying the population dynamics of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish.

A paper by Dr. Masako Nakamura of the Marine Biophysics Unit on the ecology of a deep-sea limpet called Lepetodrilus nuxon has been published in the Marine Ecology Progress Series.

OIST has installed a marine observatory system in waters off the coast of Motobu, Okinawa, which enables real-time monitoring of biological and physical data.

As part of a collaborative agreement between the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters (11th HQ) and OIST’s Marine Biophysics Unit, OIST’s marine robot, dubbed ‘Wave Glider’, was launched into the sea from the 11th HQ’s survey ship, “Okishio”.

If weather and technology cooperate during the next four years OIST researcher, Daisuke Hasegawa of the Marine Biophysics Unit will have received more than 800,000 emails from the ocean.

Professor Satoshi Mitarai, head of the Marine Biophysics Unit at OIST, is a master of making friends in all the right places – in his case, leading marine research institutions around the world.