Like Adding'Five to Six Hiroshima Bombs of Heat Each Second,' Study Shows Oceans Warming at Record Rate
CommonDreams "If you want to understand global warming, you have to measure ocean warming." Story here.
Posts
Marine life, fisheries increasingly threatened as the ocean loses oxygen – IUCN report
International Union for the Conservation of Nature The Daggernose shark, one of several larger species considered especially vulnerable. A NOAA rendering. The loss of oxygen from the world’s ocean is increasingly threatening fish species and disrupting ecosystems, a new IUCN report warns. Ocean oxygen loss, driven by climate change and nutrient pollution, is a growing menace to fisheries and species such as tuna, marlin and sharks, according to the report released today at the UN Climate Change conference in Madrid.
Study counts 1.8 million pieces of trash at the bottom of Canada's Bay of Fundy
The National Observer Daniels Flat (Bay of Fundy) A survey estimates more than 1.8 million pieces of garbage are strewn over the bottom of the Bay of Fundy, prompting concerns about potential harm to marine life. Story here.
Microplastics found in oysters, clams on Oregon coast, study finds. (Last year, Canadian scientists discovered high levels of microplastics in B.C.’s oyster beds). Is our clothing to blame?
EurekAlert Pacific oysters, farmed in the U.S. Photo by NOAA. Tiny threads of plastics are showing up in Pacific oysters and razor clams along the Oregon coast -- and the yoga pants, fleece jackets, and sweat-wicking clothing that Pacific Northwesterners love to wear are a source of that pollution, according to a new Portland State University study. Story here. RELATED: More bad news for the world’s oceans - out of Canada!
The Amazon River: A Major Source of Organic Plastic Additives to the Tropical North Atlantic?
Environmental Science & Technology The Amazon empties into the Atlantic. "Flick" Coordenação-Geral de Observação da Terra/INPE Dissolved surface water concentrations of two important families of plastic additives were found in remarkably high concentrations in the Amazon river plume. Story here.
Ban oil, gas, bottom trawling in CANADA'S marine protected areas, panel urges
THE STAR Image by NOAA. --> A panel that has spent the year studying marine protected areas (MPAs) in Canada says no oil and gas development, seabed mining, or bottom-trawling fishing should be allowed within their boundaries. More here. RELATED: New research finds that “marine reserves” – tracts of ocean where fishing is banned – are protecting fish, the coral reefs where they live and vast undersea "gardens," a lot more than once thought. By Larry Powell.
Industrial fishing behind plummeting shark numbers
Science News Research finds marine predators are significantly smaller and much rarer in areas closer to people. Story here. An ocean "white-tip" shark. Photo by NOAA.
Thirty years of unique data reveal what's really killing coral reefs
Science News Study is world's longest record of reactive nutrients, alga concentrations for coral reefs. Story here. Bleached coral. Photo by NOAA.
Canada becomes first G7 country to ban shark fin imports
The Guardian Shark fins for sale in Canada. Photo by Hakai MAGAZINE Measure which also bans sale of fins awaits royal assent. Story here.
New research finds that “marine reserves” – tracts of ocean where fishing is banned – are protecting fish, the coral reefs where they live and vast undersea "gardens," a lot more than once thought.
Large-scale commercial fishing has, for years, been depleting fish-stocks in many places around the world - especially in coral reefs in the tropics. In response, several countries have designated certain areas of the sea as "marine reserves," where neither fishing nor other development is allowed. Now, a team of scientists from US and Australian universities has produced compelling new evidence . It shows these reserves have not only been helping stocks rebound, but are also protecting massive coral "food webs" - beds of sea-grasses and algae - important reservoirs for carbon storage. by Larry Powell In this satellite photo, "halos" appear as pale blue circular bands surrounding tiny dark spots. The spots are likely small patch reefs or other shelter for small fish and invertebrates that protect them from predators. Each halo is probably about 10 meters wide. The more there are, the healthier marine life there is likely
Fatal horizon, driven by acidification, closes in on marine organisms in Southern Ocean
PHYS ORG A tiny sea creature at the California Academy of Sciences. Photo by Brian Skipworth Marine microorganisms in the Southern Ocean may find themselves in a deadly vise grip by century's end as ocean acidification creates a shallower horizon for life, new University of Colorado Boulder research finds. More here.
Australia's marine heatwaves provide a glimpse of the new ecological order
The Guardian An ocean under human siege. A Pexels photo. Receding kelp forests, jellyfish blooms and disruption to fisheries are just some of climate change’s impacts on the ocean. Story here.
Oceans that are warming due to climate change yield fewer fish
Science News A Wikimedia photo. Some areas have seen up to a 35 percent decline in how many fish can be harvested sustainably. Story here.
Researchers say Canada’s race to conserve marine biodiversity may backfire
Laurier Canada’s race to meet biodiversity conservation targets could jeopardize the very goal it is trying to achieve. More here. Aerial view of the Bunsby marine park. West coast of Vancouver Island. Bc. Photo by Kiwican
Commercial fishing banned across much of the Arctic
The Guardian International agreement will protect vast areas of sea that have opened up as the ice melts . Story here. Fishboats in Norway. Photo by Kristian Magnus Kenstad.
We must keep single-use plastics out of our oceans.
Greenpeace - More here. Poster by Jessica - NOAA marine debris program.
Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ is the largest ever measured
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration This NASA image shows the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The dead zone is now approaching an area the size of Manitoba's Lake Winnipeg! More here.