University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean and Environment

14/07/2025

11/07/2025

A new study from examined irrigation in the Global South and found that dietary improvements vary depending on several factors, and the areas where irrigation expansion occurs do not automatically see an increase in food security simply because that area is growing more crops.

The research was led by Piyush Mehta, who received his doctorate degree from UD in 2024, and Kyle Davis, assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences and the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and resident faculty at the UD Data Science Institute.

"It’s essential to adopt context-specific strategies to balance the nutritional benefits with sustainable water use,” Mehta says.

Read the full story here: https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2025/june/irrigation-global-nutrition-dietary-diversity/

09/07/2025

's Liz Sargent (pictured, left) is part of a network of professors creating a new edition of an open-source online laboratory manual, full of free educational data activities for anyone to use in undergrad or graduate oceanography classes, developed by the Ocean Data Labs project at Rutgers University.

This past May, members of the community convened in Princeton, NJ to start the process of updating the lab manual at a workshop led by the Rutgers Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences.

"Participating in the OOI Data Labs workshop was an energizing and collaborative experience that focused on using real oceanographic data to build students' data literacy," says Sargent. "The opportunity to pilot new lab activities and engage with a network of innovative educators was invaluable. The data-driven exploration Ocean Data Labs offers fosters critical thinking and inquiry. I’m excited for faculty and students to use these resources to make complex ocean processes more tangible."

Read the full story here: https://sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu/2025/06/ocean-education-tools-made-by-and-for-oceanography-professors/

07/07/2025

A group of 29 researchers from 12 institutions, including faculty and students from CEOE, are currently onboard the R/V Roger Revelle, collecting water and sediment samples around the Labrador Sea.

In addition to the research, doctoral student Cory Hite has organized several ship-to-shore sessions, reaching hundreds of students during the cruise.

Follow updates at their official page at seals2025.com!

02/07/2025

The Mariners Program and the Philadelphia Chapter of the Explorers Club brought together science, storytelling, and seafaring adventure at a symposium last month in Lewes, DE, offering guests a firsthand look at the cutting-edge research and technology developed by the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment (CEOE).

“Events like this remind us how powerful it can be when we open our labs and research to the public and invite others into the adventure," says CEOE professor Art Trembanis.

UD Mariners and Explorers Club of Philadelphia host immersive event in Lewes.

30/06/2025

The R/V Sharp recently received extensive upgrades that will be on view at an exclusive tour set for this Wednesday, 7/2, at UD’s Lewes campus. Space is limited; check out this Cape Gazette article for more details on how to sign up!

Editor’s note: This column is a regular feature written by staff at the University of Delaware. It will spotlight UD research at UD facilities in southern Delaware, and related events in beach towns and surrounding areas. Like most things...

30/06/2025

A new study from and Columbia University, co-authored by CEOE's Kimberly Oremus, took a thorough look at plastic bag bans and fees in jurisdictions across the United States to gauge their effectiveness. The researchers found that plastic bag policies led to a 25% to 47% decrease in plastic bags as a share of total items collected in shoreline cleanups relative to areas without policies.

“When we found the database that had information on different shoreline cleanups, we realized we could look at the composition of litter before and after a policy to see what effect it had,” Oremus says. “And then we could compare that to places that never got a plastic bag policy.”

While it might not seem surprising that banning or taxing plastic bags would reduce litter, Oremus said the results were more robust than she had expected.

“There are so many pathways a bag can take from the checkout line at the store. It’s great to see a policy that works in such a clearly measurable way.”

Read the full story here: https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2025/june/plastic-bag-bans-fees-shoreline-pollution-cleanup-beach-lake-river-policy/

25/06/2025

"One hypothesis is that in at least some cases, the revenue from fees is being used to further reduce litter." 's Kimberly Oremus talks to CNN about a new study she co-authored, which examines the efficacy of plastic bag policies.

Maybe you have been annoyed by the extra charge to get a plastic shopping bag, but a new study shows the policies actually help clean up shorelines.

23/06/2025

Via Chesapeake Bay Journal: A five-year research effort led by 's Holly Michael, director of the Delaware Environmental Institute, has shed unprecedented light on the phenomenon of "ghost forests" in the Chesapeake Bay region.

It’s safe to say that Tree No. 160 won’t be standing for much longer.

20/06/2025

Future cyclones might get stronger due to a general increase in sea surface temperature, 's Shuai Wang tells The Cool Down.

Researchers have found that short-lived cold wakes can lead to stronger hurricanes.

18/06/2025

's Ed Hale, Art Trembanis, and other UD faculty and researchers published a new paper in Frontiers exploring the use of AI for identifying living Eastern Oysters.

"Ultimately, we found that human performance was still more accurate than the AI testing model," says Hale. "But the technology and predictive model should close the gap soon which would allow for more rapid detection and quantification of oysters in turbid, estuarine waters."

Read the paper at the link below!

Oysters are ecologically and commercially important species that require frequent monitoring to track population demographics (e.g., abundance, growth, morta...