The day after the University of South Florida’s world-renowned Marine Science Lab went up in flames, students and faculty struggled to calculate what felt like an unfathomable loss. There will now be a scramble to find office and lab space for professors and students.

For scientists who study marine ecosystems, the drumbeat of alarming revelations about the state of the world’s oceans resonates in several dominant notes. “The world is changing and it’s happening rapidly,” said Kristin Aquilino, associate ...

The University of Florida's Whitney Lab opened a new $41.2 million marine research center, expanding its efforts.

The scene is active and a cause is under investigation.