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Science

Arctic Warming and Maine

The Artic is melting, and Maine is feeling the impact as many cold-water fish species move north and weather patterns shift.

Christmas Bird Count

Annual Christmas Bird Counts promote science, camaraderie, and conservation worldwide. Rare birds and behavior have been a hallmark of the event in Rockland, Maine.

Gulf of Maine Research Institute

For nearly 50 years the Gulf of Maine Research Institute has been building knowledge of local waters through research and outreach. GMRI’s mission is perhaps best exemplified by CBASS, its wide-ranging, long-term Casco Bay Aquatic System Survey.

Charting the Coast

Nautical charts of the Maine coast were first produced in the late 1860s. Since then, evolving technology has led to increasingly detailed knowledge of the ocean bottom.

Small Bird Big Journey

Blackpoll warblers fatten up and add muscle before making a non-stop 80- to 90-hour transoceanic flight from Maine to Venezuela.

Penobscot River Restoration

A multi-year project to remove dams and restore the Penobscot River is paying off as fish populations rebound.

Beyond Backyard Birdwatching

Birdwatching in Maine is about learning, appreciating nature, venturing to new locales, and seeing those spectacular birds.

Just Squiddin'

A nighttime squid fishing adventure on the Seal Harbor pier.

MITA Turns 25

How the coastal trail system of Maine Island Trail Association came to be.

Cetacean Sensation

Dan DenDanto is a specialist with a distinctive skill: the rearticulation of large marine mammal skeletons.

Tick, Tock, Buzz

Jan Adkins takes a good hard look at the measurement of time.

Wells Reserve

The town of Wells is home to the only National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maine, which is open to the public and the site of scientific research.

The Hidden Life of Seaweed

While some beachcombers turn up their nose at a slimy piece of seaweed on the beach, they should not. What keeps that seaweed flexible and slippery is also what keeps our ice cream smooth in our mouths, our lipstick smooth on our lips, and our shaving cream smooth across our cheeks.

Life Below the Mooring Ball

Have you ever wondered about all those things growing on your mooring ball or pennant or hanging off your dock in the summer? Science writer Ruth Hill explains what they are and how to get a better look.

Cold Enough Yet? See the sea smoke

North Atlantic fishermen called it white frost or black frost. It is common in polar regions (where it is called Arctic sea smoke), but can form over any body of water if conditions are right. Catherine Schmitt explains the science of the winter phenomenon known as sea smoke.