China says Philippine vessels ‘under guise of’ fishing boats gathered illegally near Houteng Reef, as Manila claims ‘harassment’ by PLA.
The Ocean is our life source, but for decades it has been repeatedly marred by humankind. With the disposal of pollutants into the Ocean, overexploitation of Ocean resources and the human-driven increase of global temperatures, the Ocean is changing and not for the better. Our Oceans are warming, corals are dying, fish stocks are declining, […]
Environmentalists say marine park waste regulations need updating to limit grey water and exhaust chemicals as passenger cruise numbers rise Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Environmentalists and tourism operators on the Great Barrier Reef say authorities must enforce stricter pollution standards on cruise liners visiting the world heritage area, amid recent growth in passenger cruise numbers and concern that ships are dumping toxins into the water. The Whitsunday Conservation Council says the definition of “waste” used to prevent marine discharge on the reef – which dates back to the 1970s – does not restrict discharge from sulphur “scrubbers” that have become commonplace in the shipping industry in recent years. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking...
Open access notables Progression of ocean interior acidification over the industrial era , Müller & Gruber Gruber, Science Advances: Ocean acidification driven by the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 represents a major threat to ocean ecosystems, yet little is known about its progression beneath the surface. Here, we reconstruct the history of ocean interior acidification over the industrial era on the basis of observation-based estimates of the accumulation of anthropogenic carbon. Across the top 100 meters and from 1800 to 2014, the saturation state of aragonite (Ωarag) and pH = −log[H+] decreased by more than 0.6 and 0.1, respectively, with nearly 50% of the progression occurring over the past 20 years. While the magnitude of the Ωarag change...
Source of Philadelphia’s drinking water sees salt line pushed closer to city by drought and sea level rise Salty ocean water is creeping up the Delaware River, the source for much of the drinking water for Philadelphia and millions of others, brought on by drought conditions and sea level rise, and prompting officials to tap reservoirs to push the un-potable tide back downstream. Officials say drinking water is not imminently at risk, but they are monitoring the effects of the drought on the river and studying options for the future in case further droughts sap the area, amid the climate crisis . Continue reading...
The Indian Ocean "gravity hole" is a region where Earth's mass is reduced, leading to weak gravitational pull, lower-than-average sea levels and a puzzle scientists have only just begun to solve.
Parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef have suffered the highest coral death on record, reveal experts at the Australian Institute of Marine Science's (AIMS).
One third of corals have died in a section of reef near Cooktown. SOURCE: Australian Institute of Marine Science
Parts of the Great Barrer Reef have suffered the highest coral mortality on record, Australian research showed Tuesday, with scientists fearing the rest of it has suffered a similar fate.
“I went diving in a place where the map said there was a shipwreck and then I saw something," said the cinematographer who made the stunning discovery.
What would it witness in Azerbaijan? A species that knows it is destroying itself but is too greedy to change course Imagine, as many people do, an all-seeing eye in the sky, looking down on planet Earth. Imagine seeing what it sees. It watches, over the course of decades, ice caps shrinking, rainforests retreating, deserts expanding, ocean circulation slowing, freshwater dwindling and sea levels rising, and it thinks – for it has been there since the beginning – “this is familiar”. All the signs are there, of an Earth system sliding towards collapse , as it has done five times since animals with hard body parts first evolved. But this time, it knows, is different. Not only is one of the life forms causing the collapse, but it shares some of the eye’s supernatural abilities: it too can...
Scientists said on Thursday they found what is believed to be the world's largest coral, which has been growing undisturbed in the Solomon Islands for possibly 300 years.
The coral could be 500 years old and is bigger than a blue whale, scientists say.
Scientists say they have found the world's largest coral near the Pacific's Solomon Islands, announcing Thursday a major discovery "pulsing with life and colour".
The historic ocean liner SS United States, whose fate had been in limbo for years, will begin its transition into the world's largest sunken artificial reef beginning this week in Philadelphia, its owner says.
Pollution is affecting the climate, biodiversity, ecosystems, ocean acidification and human health, according to analysis Plastic pollution is changing the processes of the entire Earth system, exacerbating climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and the use of freshwater and land, according to scientific analysis. Plastic must not be treated as a waste problem alone, the authors said, but as a product that poses harm to ecosystems and human health. Continue reading...
The complaint, about a reef both nations claim, is a rare bilateral escalation not involving China.
Research this year shows that 77 percent of the world’s reefs are affected by bleaching, mainly due to warming ocean waters amid human-caused climate change.
Upgraded Triton Island outpost in the Paracel archipelago expands China’s surveillance capabilities in the region The Chinese military is constructing a new counter-stealth radar system on a disputed reef in the South China Sea that would significantly expand its surveillance capabilities in the region, satellite imagery suggests. Analysis by Chatham House suggests China is upgrading its outpost on Triton Island, on the south-west corner of the Paracel archipelago, building what may be a launching point for an anti-ship missile battery, as well as the sophisticated radar system. Continue reading...
A global episode of heat-related coral bleaching has grown to the largest on record, US authorities said Friday, sparking worry for the health of key marine ecosystems.
Coral reefs cover only 1% of the ocean floor, but support an estimated 25% of all marine life in the ocean, earning them the moniker ‘rainforest of the sea.’ They also play a critical role for coastal communities; preventing coastal erosion, protecting coastlines from hurricane damage, and generating $36 billion in annual income worldwide. We […]
The US defense research agency is funding three universities to engineer reef structures that will be colonized by corals and bivalves and absorb the power of future storms.
HMNZS Manawanui, the Royal New Zealand Navy's specialist dive and hydrographic vessel was conducting a reef survey off the Samoan island of Upolu's southern coast before it ran aground .
Coral reefs around the world are at risk of collapse due to rising temperatures and acidifying oceans, but the natural adaptability of some species may help buy time
A Turkish shipping company and its United Arab Emirates-based partner were sentenced and fined $2 million by the United States after a ship's captain ordered his crew to dump polluted waste overboard into the ocean.
In Rodanthe, N.C., ten houses have fallen into the ocean since 2020 in an erosion-plagued stretch of the Outer Banks. The National Parks Service is urging people to avoid the water because of debris.
Deep-Sea fish survive extreme pressure through various adaptations that allow them to thrive in environments where pressures can exceed 1,000 times that at sea level.
New NASA research reveals a process to generate extremely accurate eclipse maps, which plot the predicted path of the Moon’s shadow as it crosses the face of Earth. Traditionally, eclipse calculations assume that all observers are at sea level on Earth and that the Moon is a smooth sphere that is perfectly symmetrical around its […]
NASA plans to launch the Europa Clipper mission on October 10, 2024, targeting Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. The mission seeks to explore whether Europa’s subsurface ocean can harbor life. The spacecraft will execute 49 flybys of the moon to gather crucial data about its ice shell and potential habitability while navigating intense radiation zones.
Scientists found 90% of young coral surveyed remained healthy compared with 25% of older corals, after mass bleaching event in the Caribbean Young corals bred using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and planted in reefs around the US, Mexico and the Caribbean have surprised scientists, after most survived last year’s record marine heatwave , while older corals struggled. A study has found that 90% of the young IVF-created corals surveyed remained healthy and colourful, holding on to the algae that live within them and supply them with nutrition. In contrast, only about a quarter of older non-IVF corals remained healthy. Continue reading...
The Philippines insisted on Monday that it had not given up a South China Sea reef, two days after it pulled out a ship stationed there following a months-long standoff with rival claimant China.
Lipids comprise a significant fraction of sinking organic matter in the ocean and play a crucial role in the carbon cycle. Despite this, our understanding of the processes that control lipid degradation is limited. We combined nanolipidomics and imaging ...
The man, aged in his 60s, was located at Ribbon Reef, off Cooktown in far north Queensland last Friday and pulled into the boat unresponsive.
Climate crisis is driving key predators from their homes and threatening an already embattled ecosystem Sharks are deserting their coral reef homes as the climate crisis continues to heat up the oceans, scientists have discovered. This is likely to harm the sharks, which are already endangered , and their absence could have serious consequences for the reefs, which are also struggling . The reef sharks are a key part of the highly diverse and delicate ecosystem, which could become dangerously unbalanced without them. Continue reading...
Officials in Okaloosa County hope to send the SS United States to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico to create the world's largest artificial reef — and a lure for tourist dollars.
This story was originally published by Vox.com and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Several meters underwater off the coast of Bonaire, a small island in the south Caribbean, Danielle de Kool floated in place in front of a large head of boulder brain coral. The pattern across its surface looked like the maze you […]
A report by a government ministry dismisses Manila’s claims Chinese ships have damaged coral reefs and tries to turn the tables.
Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution say the mid-September start date had to be pushed over vessel availability and ocean condition concerns. But EPA still hasn't approved the project.
A snorkeller in her 50s is fighting for her life after being pulled from the water at Green Island in the Great Barrier Reef on Wednesday afternoon
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Osha Davidson For 20 years now, Ken Nedimyer has been strapping on his scuba gear and diving into the waters off the Florida coast in a desperate effort to restore coral reefs that have been decimated by climate change and pollution. In 2019, he founded his latest venture, Reef Renewal USA. The group’s YouTube channel shows Nedimyer and other members underwater, carefully attaching nursery-grown coral to structures designed to build healthy reefs. “We’re working hard under pressure with innovation, speed, and efficiency to repopulate our coral reefs,” the narrator says. Diver-conservationists like Nedimyer will lose the race against time, scientists say, unless humanity acts quickly...
[UN News] The level of the sea globally is rising faster and higher than ever before, creating what the United Nations has described as an "urgent and escalating threat" to people around the world.
The level of the sea globally is rising faster and higher than ever before creating what the United Nations has described as a “urgent and escalating threat” to people around the world.
In Samoa, we use a simple phrase to capture our way of life: Fa’asamoa. At the core of this concept is respect for others, devotion to family and a deep appreciation for the preservation of our natural resources. Importantly, Fa’asamoa has enabled us to sustainably fish our vibrant coral reefs for millennia, in a way […]
Conservationists are racing to prevent the extinction of the ocean’s most vital ecosystems. Will it be enough? The post The bold plan to save coral reefs appeared first on Yale Climate Connections.
The La Nina phenomenon could lead to increased flooding across Thailand with low-lying areas, such as Bangkok and Samut Prakan, especially at risk of inundation, an environmental expert warned.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, leading to the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano. Ash rose up to 8 kilometres above sea level, accompanied by lava flow. No injuries have been reported. The region, home to many active volcanoes, felt tremors and saw an aftershock, but there was no major damage.
TARAWA - Kiribati’s pro-China President retained his parliamentary seat in a landslide, according to the first results of an election that hinged heavily on worries about the cost of living, rising sea levels and closer ties with Beijing.
Once again Monday night, he claimed that rising sea levels would create “more oceanfront property.”
The carbonate compensation depth — a zone where high pressure and low temperature creates conditions so acidic it dissolves shell and skeleton — could make up half of the global ocean by the end of the century.
[AIM] Maputo -- The Italian Ambassador to Mozambique, Gianni Bardini, believes that the Islamist terrorism that has been plaguing parts of the northern province of Cabo Delgado does not affect the operations carried out by the Italian multinational ENI in the Coral Sul floating platform off the coast of that province.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Sunday condemned what he called "illegal and reckless" actions by China's air force last week against a Filipino military plane patrolling over a disputed South China Sea reef.
SYDNEY - Australia’s Great Barrier Reef faces the risk of near-annual coral bleaching with temperatures in surrounding waters found to have reached the highest in at least four centuries.
[Seychelles News Agency] Getting children to take an interest in the rich, diverse marine life of Seychelles, and in its preservation by learning scuba diving, and taking part in coral restorations is the aim of one of the projects submitted for funding under the CONFEJES this year.
A new study found that temperatures in the Coral Sea have reached their highest levels in at least four centuries.
High tide floods – when water collects in streets or even seeps into buildings on days without rain – are increasingly common in coastal areas as sea levels rise, a new report warns.
SYDNEY - A remote Australian island close to an Indian Ocean chokepoint for Chinese oil shipments is on a list of possible locations for US military construction aimed at deterring China, with the US saying it "may or may not" support American forces.
City records bleaching among local reefs, with one site seeing water temperatures rising to 30.7 degrees, higher than safe level for animals.
La Nina is a periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific. Such climatic conditions are generally associated with good monsoon rainfall in India. Nevertheless, certain parts of the country may still face 'below normal' rainfall like what eight states experienced in July.
NRSC, located in Hyderabad, reports that the landslide originated at an altitude of 1,550 metres above sea level near the town of Chooralmala. Notably, the Isro report indicates evidence of a previous landslide at the same location, suggesting the area's known vulnerability.
A historian traces the complex origins of a seemingly straightforward metric
With coral reefs around the world struggling in the face of warming oceans, should we swap out native species with heat-tolerant ones from elsewhere?
The agency says the coral reef species native to the Pacific and Indian oceans are endangered or threatened by illegal harvesting and habitat destruction.
Using satellite data, researchers identified hundreds of glacial lakes in Greenland that flooded their frozen shores over the past decade – helping speed up global sea level rise
Japan has used a leaders' summit to highlight its supporting role in the Oceania region, as Pacific island states seek assistance with infrastructure development and mitigating the effects of rising sea levels.
It's a Thursday morning in the tourism hub of Ayia Napa on the southeast coast of Cyprus, and three divers in wetsuits are gluing coral fragments onto numbered pins.
Days after accusing the Philippines of polluting part of the South China Sea, Beijing says environmental quality at another reef is ‘excellent’.
Agreement is fourth ‘debt-for-nature’ swap the two countries have struck since 2009 and is expected to fund 15 years of conservation work.
Ambulance services raced to Fourteen Mile Beach, 40km south of Coral Bay, to find the victim in a stable condition after the mauling.
The same warm ocean temperatures that are supercharging storms in the Atlantic Ocean are also wreaking havoc on coral reefs, which help protect coastlines against the powerful waves caused by hurricanes and tropical storms.
The 2.73km cable car ride to the peak about 700m above sea level will take under 10 minutes.
The agency sees mangrove restoration and coral reef protection as important to its mission.
Analysis of high-resolution drone imagery concludes 97% of corals died at a Lizard Island reef between March and June this year Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast At least 97% of corals on a reef in the Great Barrier Reef’s north died during one of the worst coral bleaching events the world’s biggest reef system has ever seen, according to new analysis. Scientists at several institutions used high-resolution drone imagery to track the bleaching and death of corals on a reef at Lizard Island. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
CNN — The Antarctic ice sheet is melting in a new, worrying way that scientific models used to project future sea level rise have not taken into account, suggesting current projections could be significantly underestimating the problem, according to a new study. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey found that warm ocean water is seeping beneath the … The post Scientists identify new Antarctic ice sheet ‘tipping point,’ warning future sea level rise may be underestimated appeared first on Egypt Independent.
Floods could leave coastal communities in states like Florida and California unlivable in two decades Sea level rise driven by global heating will disrupt the daily life of millions of Americans, as hundreds of homes, schools and government buildings face frequent and repeated flooding by 2050, a new study has found. Almost 1,100 critical infrastructure assets that sustain coastal communities will be at risk of monthly flooding by 2050, according to the new research by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The vast majority of the assets – 934 of them – face the risk of flood disruption every other week, which could make some coastal neighborhoods unlivable within two to three decades. Continue reading...
Conservationists have found a way to restore a reef off one of Zanzibar's islands.
[Seychelles News Agency] A senior scientist from the Monaco Scientific Centre said a coordinated approach is the ideal way to mitigate coral bleaching and climate change.
The new creature was discovered high above sea level on the Valparai Plateau in India's tropical evergreen forests - along with four more, closely related, new species
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from the Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline . Is ocean acidification from human activities enough to impact marine ecosystems? Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are acidifying oceans, disrupting marine ecosystems by dissolving the shells and skeletons of certain organisms. The ocean absorbs at least 25% of the CO 2 released in the atmosphere. CO 2 reacts with ocean water (H 2 O) to form carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3 ), which releases acidifying hydrogen ions (H+). Ocean acidification is when the pH level of ocean water decreases...
The cycle between El Nino, La Nina, and a neutral phase typically lasts two to seven years.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Volume 129, Issue 6, June 2024.
Legal firm says group failed to update shareholders on problems with bribery and corruption at its former Turkish operation Investors could seek more than £100m in compensation from the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral for failure to update them on issues with bribery and corruption at the group’s former Turkish operation. The planned action, led by the legal firm Fox Williams, follows Entain’s agreement to pay almost £600m – one of the largest financial penalties ever imposed in the UK – in a deal with HM Revenue and Customs finalised in December 2023 after an investigation into alleged bribery . Continue reading...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by John Mason in collaboration with members from the Gigafact team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline . Is the ocean acidifying? Acidification of oceans simply means a reduction in their pH outside of normal values. The pH scale measures acidity and alkalinity of water-based solutions. It runs from 0 (highly acidic) through 7 (neutral) to 14 (highly alkaline). Any reduction in pH value, in the direction of 0, is acidification. The oceans acidify whenever they become less alkaline, regardless of whether their pH declines below 7. A good analogy for acidification can be found with the way we talk about...
Indigenous Guna families from Gardi Sugdub were relocated to Isberyala due to rising sea levels. The new community offers cooler temperatures and government-constructed houses. Some families chose to stay on the low-lying island despite climate challenges.
Third of world’s ocean surface particularly vulnerable to threats driven by burning fossil fuel and deforestation, new research finds The world’s oceans are facing a “triple threat” of extreme heating, a loss of oxygen and acidification, with extreme conditions becoming far more intense in recent decades and placing enormous stress upon the planet’s panoply of marine life, new research has found. About a fifth of the world’s ocean surface is particularly vulnerable to the three threats hitting at once, spurred by human activity such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, the study found. In the top 300 meters of affected ocean, these compound events now last three times longer and are six times more intense than they were in the early 1960s, the research states. Continue reading...
Manila says it will ensure its complaint is backed by solid evidence of the damaged coral reefs caused by Chinese actions.
While the Indonesian island's highest peak Mount Agung - over 3km above sea level - aren't as tall as other mountain ranges, a local guide is required to be hire to hike to the top.
AFP via Getty ImagesIt’s that time again: Mount Everest season.For two months starting in March, thousands of ambitious voyagers are set to travel more than 16,000 feet above sea level to one of Everest’s two main campsites. But this adventure of a lifetime—dangerous, difficult, and deadly as it is—can also be a very luxurious experience for those willing to pay up.“There was a [Everest guide] company last year that offered a masseur from Kathmandu, who stayed the whole season,” Alan Arnette, a mountaineering coach who successfully climbed Everest in 2011, told The Daily Beast. “If you’re paying $100,000, you can expect cappuccinos and sushi up there. Even a three-star chef.”Read more at The Daily Beast.
[The Herald] From the cyclical El Nino to La Nina!
Mangroves are unique coastal ecosystems protecting humans and wildlife. Rising sea levels and storms pose an increasing threat to their survival.
The island of Hawai’i and surrounding waters glow in unusual shades in this 2022 model made through NASA DEVELOP. The model was created to help the County of Hawai’i in their shoreline setback plan. The image shows areas of high flood risk (blue), as well as sea surface temperatures. Orange in the west indicates high […]
[The Conversation Africa] The Seychelles archipelago of 115 islands stretches across a vast area of the western Indian Ocean. Each island is fringed by coral reefs.
More than three-fifths — 62.9 percent — of the world's coral reefs are badly hurting from a bleaching event that began last year and is continuing.
Scientists say temperatures that have gone “crazy haywire" hot, especially in the Atlantic, are close to making the current global coral bleaching event the worst in history.
The massive coral bleaching episode signaled by US authorities last month is expanding and deepening in reefs around the globe, scientists warned Thursday.
Readers on how to plan for rising sea levels and a recall election in D.C.
Coral bleaching has been found in 19 of the country's 26 national marine parks, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) has revealed.
Maritime assessment in March shows coral reefs on Pag-asa Island severely degraded, with debris around the area indicating the damage is man-made.
Earth’s greatest living structure is dying. But the humanity of reef scientists is as beautiful as any coral I’ve ever seen From the dry lab on One Tree Island research station – about 100km off the coast from Gladstone and in the southern region of the Great Barrier Reef – I watch a steady procession of scientists walk to their next encounter with what has become the biggest palliative care unit on the planet. These scientists head out to the reef like doctors heading to a hospital with no control over saving their patients. They head to a hospital where there is no medicine they can administer to alleviate the pain or to make death easier. Continue reading...
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute study reveals marine heatwaves causing coral bleaching in Lakshadweep Sea. DHW levels, NOAA warning, significant bleaching of hard coral species, and concerns about coral health and biodiversity.
All along the Great Barrier Reef, corals lie dead and dying in pretty turquoise waters.
A Dutch tourist has died after collapsing while snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. The 51-year-old woman had just returned to the boat at Norman Reef when she collapsed.
Corals can survive heat-related bleaching, but research from the Great Barrier Reef suggests a full recovery may take longer than we thought
Researchers have found a blue hole they say is the deepest in the world—and they’ve yet to find where it bottoms out. The formation is the Taam Ja’ Blue Hole in Mexico’s Chetumal Bay, and it has so far been measured to 1,378 feet deep, or 420 meters below sea level.Read more...
The largest blue hole in the world, called Taam Ja', is located in Chetumal Bay off the coast of Mexico. Blue holes are massive underwater sink holes that can span the length of skyscrapers.
A quarter of marine life depends on coral reefs. So do 1 billion people.
It's among several projects worldwide seeking to address the decline of coral reef populations, which are suffering from bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures.
How groups execute the new plan could mean the difference between saving what’s left on Florida’s 360-mile-long coral reef and another summer of catastrophic loss.
An ocean current that carries cold water from around Antarctica up to the North Atlantic has weakened in the past two decades, which will cause oceans to warm and sea levels to rise.
A new scientific study has renewed hopes of restoring coral reefs at the Red Sea through the observation and encouragement of natural reproductive cycles, thereby reviving coral reef areas destroyed over the past years. The study was carried out by an Egyptian-Saudi scientific team which included an environmental researcher in the Red Sea Reserves, Ahmed … The post Study offers renewed hope for saving the Red Sea’s coral reefs appeared first on Egypt Independent.
A new study has suggested that the earliest known bioluminescent organism was a type of coral dwelling in the depths of the ocean about half a billion years ago.
Study finds groundwater changes and building weight appear linked to subsidence; a quarter of China’s coastal land will sink below sea level within a century.
Latin American nations must be on high alert as the weather phenomenon known as El Nino rapidly switches over to La Nina, experts said on Thursday, leaving populations and crops little time to recover.
Nearly a third of China's urban population lives in areas that are subsiding, according to a sweeping national survey of 82 major Chinese cities. In coastal areas, that makes sea level rise worse.
JAPARATINGA, Brazil - Brazil is bracing for what may be its worst-ever coral bleaching event as extremely warm waters damage reefs in the country's largest marine reserve – threatening the region's tourism and fishing revenues.
Coral bleaching was observed on 73 per cent of the surveyed reefs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The Senate kicks off the impeachment trial of the Homeland Security secretary. Coral reefs are undergoing a mass bleaching event that could soon be the worst on record.
Floods, cyclones, heat stress and predatory starfish contributing to impacts as fourth planet-wide bleaching event confirmed The Great Barrier Reef is in the midst of what could be its worst summer on record with a widespread and extreme coral bleaching event coming on top of floods, two cyclones and outbreaks of coral-eating starfish, according to an official Australian government report. The “summer snapshot” report released by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Australian Institute of Marine Science said: “Compared [with] previous summers, cumulative impacts have been much higher this summer and a widespread bleaching event is still unfolding.” Continue reading...
Australia's spectacular Great Barrier Reef is experiencing its worst bleaching event on record, the country's reef authority reported on Wednesday.
Coral reefs around the world are experiencing global bleaching for the fourth time, top reef scientists declared, a result of warming ocean waters amid human-caused climate change.
Scientists have recorded widespread bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef as global heating creates a fourth planet-wide bleaching event. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Watch, 54% of ocean waters containing coral reefs have been experiencing heat stress high enough to cause bleaching Global heating pushes coral reefs towards worst planet-wide mass bleaching on record Continue reading...
Australia's famed Great Barrier Reef is suffering one of the most severe coral bleaching events on record, leaving scientists fearful for its survival as the impact of climate change worsens.
Rising sea temperatures around the planet have caused a bleaching event that is expected to be the most extensive on record.
More than 54 percent of all the reef areas on the planet have experienced bleaching level heat-stress in the past year, according to the Global Bleaching Event Index.
A report, published by the International Coral Reef Institute, reveals that since 2023 there have been mass bleaching of coral reefs in at least 53 countries, territories and local economies.
The world is currently experiencing the second major coral bleaching event in 10 years, with reef systems from Australia to Florida at risk of dying following months of record-breaking ocean heat, a US agency announced Monday.
March 2024 was the planet’s 10th consecutive warmest month on record. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffered its worst coral bleaching in history. The post Earth just had its warmest March on record appeared first on Yale Climate Connections.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Volume 129, Issue 4, April 2024.
Marine researcher ‘devastated’ by widespread event that is affecting coral species usually resistant to bleaching Concern that the Great Barrier Reef may be suffering the most severe mass coral bleaching event on record has escalated after a conservation group released footage showing damage up to 18 metres below the surface. Dr Selina Ward, a marine biologist and former academic director of the University of Queensland’s Heron Island Research Station, said it was the worst bleaching she had seen in 30 years working on the reef, and that some coral was starting to die. Continue reading...
Heat stress from global heating could lead to impaired vision and increased deaths of pregnant mothers and their unborn young, Australian researchers say Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Octopuses could lose vision and struggle to survive due to heat stress by the end of the century if ocean temperatures continue to rise at the projected rate, a new study has found. While previous research has suggested octopuses are highly adaptable, the latest research found heat stress from global heating could result in impaired eyesight and increased deaths of pregnant mothers and their unborn young. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily...
From decomposing waste to building coral reefs, invertebrates provide structure to ecosystems Invertebrate of the year 2024: all hail Earth’s spineless heroes Nominate your UK invertebrate species of the year From the moon jellyfish to the humble garden snail, invertebrates play a central – and often invisible – role in shaping our world. Numbering in their millions, species of insects, arachnids, snails, crustaceans, corals, jellyfish, sponges and echinoderms are among the least understood animals on Earth, often overshadowed by their vertebrate cousins. We asked scientists to tell us about how invertebrates shape our world and structure its ecosystems – and the unforeseen consequences of their disappearance. Continue reading...
Diving at One Tree Island in one of the most highly protected parts of the Great Barrier Reef reveals the shocking extent of the latest mass bleaching event
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Volume 129, Issue 7, 16 April 2024.
A marine resources expert has warned of possible massive coral bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures, and its impact on tourism and food supply.
[The Point] Even if the world stopped emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, ocean levels would continue to rise. Not only is dangerous sea level rise "absolutely guaranteed", but it will keep rising for centuries or millennia even if the world stopped emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, experts say.
A community-based approach to restoration combined with an ingenious device can bring back reefs traumatized by dynamite fishing.
The Philippines said Monday it had summoned a Chinese envoy over "aggressive actions" by the China Coast Guard and other vessels near a reef off the Southeast Asian country's coast.
A long-term sea level dataset shows ocean surface heights continuing to rise at faster and faster rates over decades of observations. Global average sea level rose by about 0.3 inches (0.76 centimeters) from 2022 to 2023, a relatively large jump due mostly to a warming climate and the development of a strong El Niño. The […]
Super-reflective clouds could shelter coral from scorching sunlight. But environmentalists are concerned that such plans could prolong our addiction to fossil fuels.
Washington, D.C.'s famous cherry blossoms hit peak bloom this week. This will be the last season for about 150 of the famous flowering trees — they'll soon be cut down to adjust to sea-level rise.
March 15, 2024 1:11 PM Researchers found coral bleaching around six islands in the far northern parts of the Great Barrier Reef.
Researchers found coral bleaching in the far northern Great Barrier Reef islands. James Cook University scientists identified healthy areas in deeper waters at Turtle Group National Park in Queensland. Government agency, water temperatures, algae, bleached coral, mass bleaching events, climate change, monitoring program, cyclones, floods, Climate Council, underwater bushfire.
[Premium Times] In Ondo State, communities along the Atlantic coast have endured years of sea incursions caused by rising sea levels and intense storms.
Coral larvae more likely to settle on degraded reefs bathed in marine soundscapes, Caribbean study shows Underwater speakers that broadcast the hustle and bustle of thriving coral could bring life back to more damaged and degraded reefs that are in danger of becoming ocean graveyards, researchers say. Scientists working off the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean found that coral larvae were up to seven times more likely to settle at a struggling reef where they played recordings of the snaps, groans, grunts and scratches that form the symphony of a healthy ecosystem. Continue reading...
The pickle-shaped bottom feeders may reduce the amount of microbes on the seafloor that could potentially sicken coral, scientists suggest
Review found ongoing ‘mistrust’ among farmers, including many who remain unconvinced by need for pollution regulations Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast A review of the Queensland government’s Great Barrier Reef protection regulations has found that almost half the affected farmers still believe there is little or no scientific evidence to support pollution reduction rules. The laws, passed in 2019, were based on scientific advice that limits on sediment and chemical runoff were needed in the reef catchment, amid concerns about water quality. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Four years after being restored with steel frames, coral reefs in Indonesia damaged by blast fishing grow at the same rate as healthy reefs, but they have lower levels of species diversity
March 08, 2024 9:11 AM Bleaching causes corals to expel the colourful algae living in their tissues and turn white.
Particular concern raised for southern areas of the reef that have not been badly bleached since 2016 with ‘high risk’ of significant coral death Lord Howe island faces ‘major’ coral bleaching as ocean temperatures continue to break records Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast The Great Barrier Reef is in the grip of a mass coral bleaching event driven by global heating – the fifth in only eight years – the marine park’s government authority has confirmed. The authority, together with scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, have completed aerial surveys across 300 reefs over two-thirds of the reef, with more to come. Continue reading...
The reef, discovered in 2021, is the only live coral reef in Canada's Pacific.
March 07, 2024 11:11 AM A fourth global mass coral bleaching event is likely unfolding in the Southern Hemisphere, scientists warn.
March 07, 2024 3:11 AM BUENOS AIRES - The high probability of a strong La Nina arriving by October has put grains farmers on alert in Argentina, where the climate phenomenon usually brings dry weather with lower rainfall, the Rosario grains exchange said on Wednesday.
A new study of sinking and rising land along American coasts offers a more specific understanding of potential flooding in 32 coastal cities.
Rising sea levels and sinking land threaten 32 U.S. coastal cities with worsening floods, including New York, Boston, San Francisco, New Orleans and Miami.
The 2023-24 El Nino, one of the five strongest on record, has peaked and is gradually weakening, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The weather phenomenon will continue to impact global climate, leading to predicted above-normal temperatures between March and May. In India, El Nino affected the previous year's monsoon season, resulting in below-normal rainfall.
March 05, 2024 6:40 PM LONDON - The world is on the verge of a fourth mass coral bleaching event which could see wide swathes of tropical reefs die, including parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.
Exclusive: Fears coral bleaching moving south to Lord Howe, Norfolk islands after southern Great Barrier Reef experiences worst heat stress since 1985 Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Scientists fear excessive ocean heat – which is bleaching corals in parts of the Great Barrier Reef – is now hitting the world’s most southern coral reef at the World Heritage-listed Lord Howe island. There are also concerns ocean temperatures are reaching dangerous levels for corals at Australia’s remote Norfolk Island, which is about 1400km east of Queensland’s Gold Coast. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Damage from last year's deadly disaster has spurred fears that runoff could contaminate coral, seaweed and other marine life.
Nusantara will be the new capital of Indonesia as Jakarta continues to subside below sea level.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Volume 129, Issue 3, March 2024.
A 1970s plan to grow underwater limestone objects has been repurposed as a way of regenerating the seabed, reestablishing corals, and stopping coastal erosion.
By Christopher Cusack (EDF) and Cooper Van Vranken (Ocean Data Network) In the early hours of October 25, 2023, Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, with peak winds of 165 mph wreaking havoc on communities in its path. Normally, people would have had a chance to prepare but just the day before, the consensus […]
Playing a huge role in moderating the climate, oceans are fundamental to the functioning of our planet. Understanding more about how seawater temperatures are rising and how oceans are absorbing excess atmospheric carbon dioxide, as well as knock-on issues such as ocean acidification, is key for understanding climate change and for taking effective action.A recent scientific paper highlights just how satellites are becoming increasingly important in providing unique information on ocean health to guide climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Katey Lesneski, research coordinator for coral restoration at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. She's been checking on restored corals, which struggled in 2023.
Warm water last year killed the majority of staghorn and elkhorn coral that scientists had planted at five reefs.
The updated system is meant to provide better guidance as researchers and conservationists try to save coral during heat events.
The ocean is a lifeline, driving climate and supporting biodiversity. Yet, with rising sea levels and increasing acidification, its future and ours hang in a delicate balance.
[The Conversation Africa] The world's coral reefs are close to 25% larger than we thought. By using satellite images, machine learning and on-ground knowledge from a global network of people living and working on coral reefs, we found an extra 64,000 square kilometres of coral reefs - an area the size of Ireland.
As sea levels rise, engineers are using massive Dutch-inspired sand sculptures to protect shorefront settlements.
Samples from the Bennu asteroid reveal that it may have come from an ocean planet. Scientists determined the fragments are high in carbon and water - similar to Saturn's moon Enceladus.
Ocean temperatures are rising so dramatically that the organization that monitors threats to coral reefs worldwide has added three new alert categories.
Federal and Queensland governments are trying to convince UN body not to add the reef to list of world heritage sites in danger Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast The Albanese government has claimed it is “on track” to have national climate targets that would be in line with keeping global heating to 1.5C in a report to Unesco on efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef. The federal and Queensland governments are trying to convince Unesco not to recommend the world’s biggest coral reef system be placed on a list of world heritage sites in danger – with a decision due at a meeting in India in July. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Officials in Okaloosa County sank a boat on Tuesday, January 30, as part of a scheme to create artificial reefs off Florida’s Gulf Coast. The 239-foot former research vessel DEEP STIM III was sunk in the northern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday as a new addition to the coastal artificial reef system, officials said. Okaloosa County has an extensive artificial reef system, and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the state’s program is the most active among the US’s 15 Gulf and Atlantic coastal states, with more than 3,800 planned public artificial reefs placed off the coast since the 1940s. Credit: Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners via Storyful
MANILA: The Philippines on Monday denied China had a "temporary special arrangement" with Manila to allow the delivery of supplies to Philippine troops occupying a disputed South China Sea reef, calling it "a figment of imagination".
Carter Dallas 'climbed' to the south site in Nepal - located 17,598ft above sea level - on October 25. He completed the trek on dad Ross' back, with mum Jade, 31, alongside
The deep-sea or cold-water coral ecosystem stretches nearly 311 miles from Miami, Florida to Charleston, South Carolina. The discovery was product of 23 submersible dives.
A new deep-sea mapping project has revealed near-continuous reefs of cold-water corals spanning an area the size of Vermont just off the southeast U.S. coastline.
The largest deep-sea coral reef to date was mapped off the U.S. Atlantic coast. It not only provides benefits to sea life, but humans and planet Earth, as well.
Reef, which extends for 310 miles from Florida to South Carolina and at some points is 68 miles wide, called ‘breathtaking in scale’ Scientists have mapped the largest known deep-sea coral reef, stretching hundreds of miles off the US Atlantic coast. While researchers have known since the 1960s that coral is present off the Atlantic, the reef’s size remained a mystery until new underwater mapping technology made it possible to construct 3D images of the ocean floor. Continue reading...
Officials said the mounds off the shore of the southeastern United States cover an area larger than the state of Vermont.
The long-running project, sometimes described as the environmental version of the AIDS quilt, thrives on convoluted math and a sea of volunteers.
NASA will host a media teleconference at 12 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 17, to discuss the upcoming launch and science objectives of the agency’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission. Once in orbit above Earth, the satellite will shed light on the impact of tiny things – microscopic life in water and microscopic particles […]
Nearly three-quarters of hammer coral colonies annually alternate between male and female. They are the only animal species known to undergo this change on such a regular schedule
Ancient temples on the east coast of Thailand are teetering on the brink of being swallowed up by encroaching seas
Open access notables Rapid Sea Level Rise in the Tropical Southwest Indian Ocean in the Recent Two Decades , Huang et al., Geophysical Research Letters: It has been reported that the sea level falls in the tropical Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) from the 1960s to the early 2000s. However, a rising trend of 4.05 ± 0.56 cm/decade has occurred during the recent two decades with our analysis showing that manometric sea level contributes 41% to this sea level rise. 30% of this rise is due to steric sea level (SSL) change in the upper 2,000 m with SSL rise in the upper 300 m of secondary importance. Conversely, thermal expansion below the thermocline (300–2,000 m), likely caused by water mass spread from the Southern Ocean, induces...
High level of coral growth in Victoria Harbour put down to success of government’s sewage treatment and sludge reduction work.
Body recovered from ocean off Dhilba Guuranda-Innes national park on the Yorke Peninsula A teenage boy has died after a shark attack near Ethel Beach in South Australia, police say. At 1.30pm on Thursday police received reports of a shark attack in Dhilba Guuranda-Innes national park, on the Yorke Peninsula. Continue reading...
A set of rusted-out metal seats that washed up on a New Jersey beach probably came loose from a railcar used to make an artificial reef, police said.
Pacific nations, especially Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, are among the most vulnerable nations to be nearly entirely inundated by rising sea levels.
A group of condors rip into the carcass of a calf at the top of a Colombian mountain which rises 4,200 metres above sea level.
A special issue of the journal Oceanography has shone a spotlight on the collaborative FindAScienceBerth project, inspiring people and institutions to make positive change towards increasing diversity. The FindAScienceBerth project is … The post Building diversity, equity, and inclusion in ocean science appeared first on British Antarctic Survey.
The Paris 2024 organizing committee's plan to install a judging tower onto the coral reef has sparked protests on the island.
Shocking underwater footage captured the destruction that a huge US Navy plane caused after it crashed into endangered coral reef in Hawaii's Kaneohe Bay on November 20.
An elderly Spanish tourist has died after she was pulled from the water on the Great Barrier Reef. Life guards pulled her out of the water and performed CPR but she couldn't be saved.
What Exactly Are "Nature-based Solutions”? margaret.overh… Mon, 12/04/2023 - 10:00 In the Seychelles archipelago in East Africa, flooding and erosion caused by rising sea levels pose an imminent threat to the country’s many low-lying islands. At the same time its mangrove forests, which serve as a vital buffer against these impacts, are disappearing: Approximately 70% of Seychelles mangroves have been destroyed since the late 1700s due to human-driven development and agriculture as well as soil erosion from sea-level rise. Today the Seychelles Government is working with local community leaders to restore the mangroves, and not just for protection against rising seas. Research shows that these forests can store about 2.5 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent (equal...
Manila said it counted 111 ‘Chinese maritime militia vessels’ within Whitsun Reef - more than 1,000km from China - on November 13. On Saturday, there were over 135, the coastguard said.
The U.S. Navy released an underwater footage on Wednesday, revealing the plane's tires lodged in the coral as fish navigate through rock fissures.
A Navy team removed nearly all of the estimated 2,000 gallons of fuel on the plane, Rear Adm. Kevin Lenox said Monday.
A man in his 20s on Thursday was bitten by a shark at Clack Island, in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, north of Cooktown, in Far North Queensland.
November 29, 2023 12:55 AM Severe flooding caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon has killed 120 people in Kenya, while people in almost 90,000 households have been forced to leave their homes, the government said on Tuesday.
Residents of an area of high ground in Miami say developers are pricing them out of their homes.
A couple have recounted the horrific moment an elderly snorkeler was pulled out of the water unresponsive during a day tour on the Great Barrier Reef.
The grieving family of a man who died on a packed Cairns tour boat believes more could have been done to save their father’s life as new details emerge into the tragedy on the Great Barrier Reef.
President Mohamed Muizzu has scrapped plans to relocate citizens from the Indian Ocean archipelago, despite much of it being less than a metre above sea level and without fresh drinking water.
Rising sea levels threaten to swamp the Maldives and the Indian Ocean archipelago is already out of drinking water, but the new president says he has scrapped plans to relocate citizens.
This year has been one of records: global boiling heat, extreme weather events and now, the El Nino could be one of the strongest ever.
Deep-frozen corals, cryopreserved in the hope of restoring ocean ecosystems, are growing up. Could the futuristic technique eventually save dying reefs?
After soaring October temperatures, the warming El Nino effect to last well into next year.
November 08, 2023 5:15 PM Scientists are working to transplant corals to places where they have a better chance of surviving in a rapidly warming ocean.
The New England Aquarium announced on Wednesday, November 8, that a young female nurse shark had arrived to its Caribbean coral reef exhibit. The video shows the 3.5-foot, 22-pound shark, named by the aquarium staff as Cirri, first in quarantine, then with other sea creatures in the Giant Ocean Tank, including Myrtle the green turtle, rays, eels, and hundreds of fish. It’s been 10 years since the aquarium had a nurse shark on site, they said. The previous resident nurse shark, named Bimini, lived in the Giant Ocean Tank for a decade before it was relocated to the New York Aquarium in 2012. “Nurse sharks can be found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific, often inhabiting reefs and resting on sandy bottoms. Listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List...
An Australian coral scientist has been collaborating with technologists to develop artificial-intelligence-powered robots that can automate coral restoration.
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island analyzed 99 coastal cities worldwide, finding nearly all are sinking faster than sea levels are rising. And the team identified four 'hotspots'
Divers captured the spawning of soft corals on Moore Reef with researchers to analyse next generation Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Annual coral spawning has begun on the outer Great Barrier Reef, with researchers set to analyse the next generation of corals. Divers captured the spawning of soft corals on Moore Reef, 47km east of Cairns, on Thursday night. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
This animation shows global sea level data collected by the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite from July 26 to Aug. 16. Red and orange indicate higher-than-average ocean heights, while blue represents lower-than-average heights. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech In Brief: Data on sea surface heights around the world from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission yields a mesmerizing view of the planet’s ocean. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography ( SWOT ) satellite is sending down tantalizing views of Earth’s water, including a global composite of sea surface heights. The satellite collected the data visualized above during SWOT’s first full 21-day science orbit, which it completed between July 26 and Aug. 16. SWOT...
The lack of water is so severe in Peru’s highlands that farming families are forced to sell their livestock because they cannot feed them. “There is no grass or fodder to feed them,” says Fermina Quispe, a Quechua farmer from a rural community located at 4,200 meters above sea level. Llarapi Chico, the name of […]
Peat soils close to sea level after rainfall in Hauraki. Photo Manaaki Whenua By Jeremy Rose A Cabinet minute from July of this year agreed in principle to include non-forest land in New Zealand’s nationally...
Experts have stated that this year's post-monsoon heat in central and southern India may be further intensified by El Nino, resulting in temperatures that are 1-2 degrees Celsius above normal. The India Meteorological Department has released data showing that October is likely to be one of the five hottest Octobers on record since 1901. The increase in temperatures is a global phenomenon, with July, August, and September also experiencing record warmth. The effects of El Nino are expected to peak in the next six-eight months.
New Orleans is only the latest city to have a close call with saltwater intrusion, an increasing threat to water supplies as sea levels rise and groundwater declines.
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is the latest satellite contributing to a 30-year sea level record that researchers are using to compare this year’s El Niño with those of the past. Not all El Niño events are created equal. Their impacts vary widely, and satellites like the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich help anticipate those impacts on a […]
October 16, 2023 5:00 AM Singapore’s coral reefs had a close call with bleaching this year.
Images reveal rescue operations involving inflatable boats, with rescuers evacuating people from their homes to camps in certain parts of Thiruvananthapuram. The situation has prompted State General Education Minister V Sivankutty to describe it as unusual, with extensive waterlogging and rising sea levels exacerbating the crisis.
Roughly one-third of the city state is less than five metres above sea level, making it more susceptible to sea-level rise ‘than virtually any country in the world’, observers say.
New research casts doubt on effectiveness of targeting surface runoff only and highlights need to use fertilisers more efficiently, experts say Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Scientists say they have discovered large flows of pollution are reaching the Great Barrier Reef after soaking into underground water, a finding that could have implications for policymakers focused on cutting pollution from river catchments. The new research claims almost a third of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and two-thirds of dissolved inorganic phosphorus in the reef’s waters are coming from underground sources – an amount previously undocumented. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon...
Sex determination of sea turtles is temperature dependent, with the proportion of female hatchlings increasing when nests are warmer Similar numbers of female and male green and hawksbill turtles are hatching in the Coral Sea’s Conflict Islands, new research suggests, despite global heating increasingly leading to “extreme feminisation” of sea turtles. Sea turtles are particularly susceptible to the effects of global heating because their sex determination is temperature dependent, with the proportion of female hatchlings increasing when nests are warmer. Continue reading...
[IPS] Victoria, Seychelles -- Everyone knows that small island states are on the frontline of global warming. Rising sea levels, acidification destroying fisheries and coral reefs, and changing patterns of rainfall are just some of the challenges. Some low-lying islands have already been lost to the ocean.
A viral video has revealed the haunting sound a submarine's sonar makes underwater after a group of divers visiting a coral reef in the Bahamas were left baffled by the ear-piercing shriek.
Genome-wide study in staghorn coral identifies markers of disease resistance
In Brief: Scientists using space-based radar found that land in New York City is sinking at varying rates from human and natural factors. A few spots are rising. Parts of the New York City metropolitan area are sinking and rising at different rates due to factors ranging from land-use practices to long-lost glaciers, scientists have found. While the elevation changes seem small – fractions of inches per year – they can enhance or diminish local flood risk linked to sea level rise. The new study was published Wednesday in Science Advances by a team of researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and Rutgers University in New Jersey. The team analyzed upward and downward vertical land motion – also known as uplift and...
Although small island States are the most vulnerable to rising sea levels, the scope of those impacted is much wider, the President of the UN General Assembly warned on Thursday.
Following similar declarations by other global meteorological organisations, an El Nino has been declared, setting Australia up for a long, hot, dry and dangerous summer.
This article by Michele Currie Navakas Professor of English, Miami University is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article . Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Aug. 30, 2023, bringing surging seas and winds over 100 mph . Meanwhile, another climate emergency has been unfolding along Florida’s coast this summer: a marine heat wave bleaching corals throughout the world’s third-largest barrier reef . Similarly, ocean temperatures in many parts of the Atlantic and Pacific are at record highs , with reefs from Colombia to Australia showing signs of stress in recent years. Scientists warn that the world may be witnessing the start of a global coral-bleaching event ...
Hint: Sea surface temperatures are still at record highs (not even close), and El Niño continues to grow.
Most coastal areas globally are projected to face "100-year flood" events annually until the end of the century, according to a new study.
Pair in isolation with virus, other passengers have been told, as Ocean Explorer remains stuck in Alpefjord national park Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Two people on board a cruise ship run aground in Greenland’s Alpefjord national park have Covid-19, according to an Australian passenger on board, but everybody remained in “good spirits”. The Australian-operated Ocean Explorer, which is carrying 206 passengers and crew, ran aground while touring the national park on Monday, around 1,400km north-east of Greenland’s capital Nuuk. Continue reading...
Shade structures installed at Dry Tortugas and Biscayne national parks are aimed at helping corals survive until waters cool this fall.
The government is stepping up efforts to address concerns about decreased rainfall and drought caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon that is affecting Thailand's agricultural sector, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said.
Three sailors who were trying to travel from Vanuatu to Australia were rescued in the Coral Sea after sharks attacked their inflatable boat
The move will save the islanders and provide reliable sources of drinking water, sanitation and electricity, but puts at risk their culture and way of life
A $113 million project in Washington will address chronic flooding and fix sinking walls strained by age, rising sea levels and poor drainage.
Scientists used ancient and modern data to pinpoint the critical sea-level rise rates at which tidal marshes, mangroves, and coral reefs could be at risk.
A study published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows rising sea levels are endangering the world' coastal wetland and coral reef ecosystems that are unlikely keep pace with the "drowning" effects of sea-level rise.
Devastating wildfires that have killed more than 100 people have also created dangerous conditions for fragile wildlife and natural ecosystems off Maui’s shores. Scientists and officials are worried that coral reefs near Maui are going to be hurt in the aftermath of these fires.Read more...
Contaminants from the fires could damage marine life, and hardy non-native grasses might grow and kindle the next fire As the toll from Maui’s catastrophic wildfires continues to climb, experts warn the disaster also poses a grave threat to the coral reefs and delicate ocean ecosystems that surround the devastated town of Lahaina. Layers of charred soils and toxic contaminants were left among the wreckage, where thousands of buildings and blackened cars lie in smoldering ruins. The conflagration that claimed more lives than any other US wildfire in the last century burned to the shoreline, littering underwater habitats with scorched boats and debris. The ashen aftermath could end up wreaking more havoc if allowed to slip into the aquatic environment. Continue reading...
Today, hundreds of international scientists are sounding a clarion call for urgent expansion of Southern Ocean research in the emerging climate crisis. 300 scientists from 25 nations have been meeting … The post Urgent call for more Southern Ocean research appeared first on British Antarctic Survey.
Experts say Florida's coral reef is suffering an unprecedented and potentially deadly level of severe bleaching because of rising sea temperatures sparked by climate change. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that some sites around the…
Record marine heat wave bakes Florida corals, while scientists nurse rescued coral fragments that could one day aid recovery.
Sizzling ocean temperatures in the east-central tropical Pacific throughout July indicate there is a good chance El Niño conditions will remain strong for the next six months.
The aim is to divert some of the Mississippi River's sediment-laden water into a new channel and guide it into the Barataria Basin southeast of New Orleans.
This blog is now closed. ‘Huge’ coral bleaching unfolding across the Americas prompts fears of global tragedy Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Three electric vehicles available at less than $40,000 One of three electric vehicles priced at less than $40,000 will arrive in Australian dealerships this week, AAP reports. We want a big change in this market. If you were originally planning to buy [a petrol car], you can now get pure electric. Amid the current strategic circumstances, it is more important than ever we partner with our neighbours and deepen our defence partnerships. Cooperation, shared understanding and knowledge coupled with training contributes to shared security and prosperity for our region. Continue reading...
A mass coral bleaching event has hit reefs in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Scientists in the region have told Guardian Australia's environment reporter Graham Readfearn they have never seen anything like it before. The tragedy is unfolding early in the season and in areas not usually affected by coral bleaching, sparking fears it could become a global event ► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube Continue reading...
The Philippines said a Chinese Navy chopper harassed Filipino fishing boats at a disputed South China Sea reef, showing lingering tensions in the key waterway.
SAN FRANCISCO — They call it “the Blob". A decade ago, sea surface temperatures in the Pacific soared 11 degrees Celsius above normal.
New Zealand naval ship HMNZS Manawanui was on autopilot when it crashed into a coral reef, caught ablaze and sank in Samoan waters, according to an official inquiry.
Rising carbon dioxide levels are driving an increase in the ocean’s acidity – and this change is sinking deeper as emissions increase, putting even more marine organisms at risk
Heavy winds and rising sea levels flooded and swept away displaced Palestinians along with their belongings overnight, in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Winter conditions are destroying the few remaining items they have after more than a year of ongoing bombardment.
A new study examines the risk to whales from ship strikes – the leading cause of death worldwide for the species. Thousands of whales are injured or killed each year … The post Whale-ship strikes reduced if 2.6% of ocean made safer appeared first on British Antarctic Survey.
Passengers and crew aboard Princess Cruises' Coral Princess were plagued by an outbreak on its 31-day journey from Singapore to Los Angeles.
Marine scientists say one area around Cooktown and Lizard Island had lost more than a third of its live hard coral after bleaching event Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Reefs across the north of the Great Barrier Reef have seen “substantial losses” of coral cover after a summer of extreme heat, two cyclones and major flooding, according to the first results of surveys from government marine scientists. After the most widespread coral bleaching event seen on the world’s biggest reef system, the Australian Institute of Marine Science said one area around Cooktown and Lizard Island had lost more than a third of its live hard coral – the biggest annual drop in 39 years of monitoring. Continue reading...
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Volume 129, Issue 11, November 2024.
The world's biggest coral — an organism made up of about a billion polyps — is about three times bigger than the previous record-holder and was discovered by chance during an expedition off the Solomon Islands.
Gigantic multicoloured organism is visible from space and has grown for between 300 and 500 years The world’s largest known coral, visible from space, has been discovered in the waters of the Solomon Islands. With a circumference of 183 metres, the gigantic multicoloured organism is an intricate network of individual coral polyps that have grown for between 300 and 500 years. Continue reading...
“Just when we think there is nothing left to discover on planet Earth, we find a massive coral … pulsing with life and colour,” said explorer-in-residence Enric Sala.
The mega-coral measures 34 metres by 32 metres – making it larger than a blue whale – and it is thought to be three centuries old
The information will help people who live in coastal areas prepare for impacts caused by rising sea levels. Earth’s ocean is rising, disrupting livelihoods and infrastructure in coastal communities around the world. Agencies and organizations are working to prepare people as their world changes around them, and NASA information is helping these efforts. The agency’s […]
[The Conversation Africa] Topping out over 3,000 metres above sea level, the Drakensberg and Maluti mountains bordering South Africa and Lesotho are frequently covered in snow in winter. Back in 1975, German and South African investors planned to build a ski resort there.
Malaysia has sent a complaint letter to Vietnam over its alleged expansion of a South China Sea reef that both countries claim as their own, two officials told Reuters, in a rare bilateral escalation not involving China.
Set about 15 years from now, this future fable takes place in and around a shipping center in Wyoming as rising sea levels are swallowing American states east and west.
Officials in Florida's Panhandle predict the transformation of the former glamour cruise liner SS United States into a sunken artificial reef will be a major boost for the region's eco-tourism industry.
Meteorologists are predicting a possible return of La Nina, linked to cooler temperatures and heavy rain. Here's why the Pacific weather phases of El Nino and La Nina can influence extreme weather across the globe.
Above-average rainfall is forecast to sweep Southeast Asia over the coming months, as La Nina conditions bring storms and downpours.
The New Zealand Defence Force said on Sunday the HMNZS Manawanui - New Zealand navy's specialist dive and hydrographic vessel - ran aground near Samoa's main island of Upolu.
Apple Chui, or ‘Coral Mum’, has been selected as a finalist for Spirit of Hong Kong Awards 2024 in the community category.
The rising sea level has contributed to the destruction of 500 houses on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
Climate change is rapidly reshaping a region of the world that’s home to millions of people. In the next 30 years, Pacific Island nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Fiji will experience at least 8 inches (15 centimeters) of sea level rise, according to an analysis by NASA’s sea level change science team. This amount […]
Designed to be user-friendly, the resource contains the latest sea level data, explainers, and other information from several U.S. agencies. The U.S. Interagency Task Force on Sea Level Change launched the U.S. Sea Level Change website on Monday, Sept. 23. Designed to help communities prepare for rising seas, the site features the latest science on […]
Ocean acidification close to critical threshold, say scientists, posing threat to marine ecosystems and global liveability Industrial civilisation is close to breaching a seventh planetary boundary, and may already have crossed it, according to scientists who have compiled the latest report on the state of the world’s life-support systems. “Ocean acidification is approaching a critical threshold”, particularly in higher-latitude regions, says the latest report on planetary boundaries. “The growing acidification poses an increasing threat to marine ecosystems.” Continue reading...
"The process that we're undertaking today is a really great opportunity for us to expand the representation of the corals that we are working with and the locations where they're stored," a Nova Southeastern University researcher said.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Volume 129, Issue 9, September 2024.
It is hoped MV Shingle, intercepted in 2014 with 32m cigarettes onboard, will benefit marine life and tourism The valves opened, the sea gurgled in and slowly, imperceptibly at first, the ship began its journey to the bottom of the Atlantic. The 60-metre MV Shingle debuted in Ireland a decade ago as a smuggling vessel, but then became an unwanted hulk. On Wednesday afternoon it performed its swan song – scuttled off County Mayo to create an artificial reef. Continue reading...
A Philippine vessel that spent months anchored at a disputed reef in the South China Sea has left the area, the national maritime council said Sunday.
Conservationists and botanists express concern over plans for Qatari-funded upscale resort on Assomption Island The habitat of the largest giant tortoise population in the world is threatened by a Qatari-funded hotel development that aims to bring luxury yachts, private jets and well-heeled tourists to a remote island in the Indian Ocean, conservationists have warned. Plans for an upscale resort on Assomption, which is part of the Aldabra island group, are currently under discussion by the Seychelles authorities, and construction is already finished on an airport expansion that would allow bigger aircraft to land on the 11.6-sq-km (4.5-sq-mile) coral island. Continue reading...
A year after the worst coral bleaching ever recorded, Florida's reefs are slowly recovering. Despite elevated ocean temperatures, scientists say this summer they didn’t see significant bleaching.
CNN — A team of NASA rocket scientists is developing autonomous underwater robots able to go where humans cannot, deep beneath Antarctica’s giant ice shelves. The robots’ task is to better understand how rapidly ice is melting — and how quickly that could cause catastrophic sea level rise. In March, scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion … The post How long do we have until sea level rise swallows coastal cities? This fleet of ocean robots will help find out appeared first on Egypt Independent.
Corals are under threat from warmer oceans. But those that survive could pass on their resilience to the next generation.
Tainaliz Marie Rodríguez Lugo took a deep breath, adjusted her snorkel mask, and plunged into the ocean, fins first. Three weeks earlier, Rodríguez Lugo couldn’t swim. Now the college student was gathering data on water quality and coral reefs for a NASA-led marine biology project in Puerto Rico, where she lives. “There is so much […]
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy . It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Coral reefs are in hot water... literally. Climate change is ramping up temperatures, causing increasing bleaching of reefs across the world. On top of that, these unique, vital ecosystems are facing threats from plastic pollution, ocean acidification, and overfishing. And new research shows just how in danger the Great Barrier Reef is. But there are solutions to protect reefs from global warming - helping them adapt to a warming world and removing the threats they face. But if we don't stop climate change as soon as possible, we may live to see the end of coral reefs. Support ClimateAdam...
A new study shows how federal grant funding has actually become an obstacle to climate adaptation. The post Northwest coastal tribes are drowning in paperwork trying to escape sea-level rise appeared first on High Country News.
UN chief Antonio Guterres issued a global SOS regarding Pacific ocean temperatures, rising at three times the global average rate. He called for a cutdown on emissions and support for vulnerable countries.
Major report released at 4pm on Friday with no media release or a press conference from Tanya Plibersek Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A leading conservation group has accused the government of trying to “bury bad news” about the health of the Great Barrier Reef by releasing a major five-yearly outlook report on Friday afternoon. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s 600-page report said the “window of opportunity to secure a positive future” for the reef was “closing rapidly” and the outlook for the ecosystem was “very poor”. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Australia on Friday launched a multi-million dollar effort to stop pesticide runoff and other water quality issues on the Great Barrier Reef, the latest effort to save the ailing natural wonder.
Companies using AI to “eavesdrop” on biodiversity say it’s faster and cheaper than humans and much easier to implement at scale. But accuracy is still a work in progress.
A single coral in Fiji that is more than 600 years old has recorded how Pacific Ocean temperatures have varied during its long life.
North America’s only barrier reef is withering from heat and disease. Can efforts to preserve and propagate the corals at land-based facilities save them?
As the climate crisis causes the Pacific to rise, the archipelago’s water is increasingly unsafe to drink Church pastor Damien Hophand, who lives on the island of Malekula in Vanuatu with his wife and two children, has seen a change to the community’s water supply recently – and it’s not a welcome one. “The wells are salty,” says Hophand. “It’s not suitable for drinking.” While many on the archipelago of 83 islands of Vanuatu get all their water from pipes, some, such as Hophand, have to supplement this with water from a well or pump. As the climate crisis forces sea levels to rise and cyclone winds thrash along the bays , seawater is seeping into the groundwater sources of low-lying islands, contaminating the supply and threatening the health of communities. Continue reading...
Polls opened in the Pacific nation of Kiribati on Wednesday, after a campaign dominated by the rising cost of living, rising sea levels and questions about the benefit of deeper ties with China.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Volume 129, Issue 8, August 2024.
Capitol Reef National Park is working to bring back heirloom fruit varieties that pioneer families planted here decades ago.
New study discovers that ocean temperatures around the Great Barrier Reef are the hottest in at least 400 years, prompting warnings that the reef could completely collapse in the next 30 years.
The sea surface temperature around the Great Barrier Reef this year is the hottest it has ever been in 400 years, posing huge threats to the coral reef ecosystem in the area.
The reef suffered mass coral bleaching events between 2016 and 2024.
Facing the hottest ocean temperatures in four centuries, scientists said that Australia's Great Barrier Reef could face "critical damage."
Australia’s unique marine wonder is under increasing pressure from rising temperatures, but the science is still being questioned.
CNN — A vital system of Atlantic Ocean currents that influences weather across the world could collapse as soon as the late 2030s, scientists have suggested in a new study — a planetary-scale disaster that would transform weather and climate. Several studies in recent years have suggested the crucial system — the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC … The post A critical system of Atlantic Ocean currents could collapse as early as the 2030s, new research suggests appeared first on Egypt Independent.
Antarctica’s melting ice sheet is relieving pressure on the land beneath, allowing it to push upwards in a way that could slow sea level rise in coming centuries – but only if greenhouse gas emissions are low
The ocean is our lifeline, covering 70 percent of the earth’s surface, it is the source of half of the oxygen we breathe, and it absorbs 26 percent of the carbon dioxide we produce. It is home to millions of marine species, contains 97 percent of all of the water on our planet and offers […]
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have found that Ariel, a moon of Uranus, has some of the most carbon dioxide-rich deposits in the solar system, hinting at a buried water ocean.
This story was originally published by Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. After 18 months of record-breaking ocean temperatures, the planet’s reefs are in the middle of the most widespread heat-stress event on record. Across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, latest figures from the US government’s Coral Reef Watch, shared with the Guardian, show 73 […]
An element of a NASA-funded commercial space station, Orbital Reef, under development by Blue Origin and Sierra Space, recently completed a full-scale ultimate burst pressure test as part of the agency’s efforts for new destinations in low Earth orbit. This milestone is part of a NASA Space Act Agreement awarded to Blue Origin in 2021. […]
As a kid, Sabrina Imbler loved the ocean. They'd swim and snorkel, following around parrotfish in the water. Later, they tried to learn everything they could about the brightly-colored tropical fish – how some create a mucus cocoon at night to protect it from parasites, or how they help keep coral reefs healthy. As they got older, their fascination with sea creatures only grew. Imbler released a collection of essays in 2022 called How Far The Light Reaches: A Life In Ten Sea Creatures . Each chapter focuses on a different marine species – from yeti crabs near hydrothermal vents in the deep sea to the morphing abilities of cuttlefish. Often, these creatures act as a mirror for Imbler to explore parts of their own identity. Want more on the wonders of the deep sea? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Padi’s first South African blind scuba diver describes how her other senses enhance her experience underwater I went on my first dive in Mozambique and as I was descending, I could hear this weird chirruping noise. As we got closer to the reef, it got louder and louder. It was so weird and different from any other sound I’ve heard. Other scuba divers call it the “crackling” of the coral reef. That’s what I was hearing: the actual coral . I could hear the whole reef, being alive – and it sounded absolutely amazing, like its own kind of orchestra. A sea orchestra. I am Padi’s first South African blind scuba diver. I have a condition called optic atrophy, caused by a brain tumour that pressed on my optic nerves when I was 11. After it was removed, my central vision turned completely black...
Sea level rise has eradicated a U.S. species for the first time. What's next?
The Key Largo tree cactus is first plant of its kind to go extinct in the United States from sea-level rise, scientists say.
The agreement is the fourth “debt-for-nature” swop the two countries have struck since 2009.
BEIJING - China said on Monday "illegal" beaching of Philippine warships at the Nansha islands in the South China Sea had "gravely damaged" the coral reef ecosystem in the area, as both countries tussle over disputed territory at atolls in the vast waterway.
Indonesia has roughly 5.1 million hectares of coral reefs and accounts for 18 per cent of the world's total.
Light pollution acts as ‘midnight fridge’, drawing in young fish, then predators, according to tests in French Polynesia Artificial light shining from coastlines around the world is acting like “a midnight fridge” full of tasty snacks, threatening young fish who can be drawn to it and who are then eaten by predators also attracted by the brightness, according to a study. It has long been established that light pollution hampers people’s ability to see the night sky and harms migrating birds, insects and other animals. But its impact on marine ecosystems has rarely been taken into account, said Jules Schligler, the lead author of the study at the international coral ecosystem research centre in Mo’orea, French Polynesia. Continue reading...
The search will focus on the Masca gorge, around 3000ft above sea level and which has been combed by police, drones, dogs and helicopters since he was reported missing.
A diver glides over an expanse of bone-white coral branches, recording the fish that dart between the ghostly arms extending from the sea floor off the Thai island of Koh Tao.
Unesco warned that the world’s largest coral system "remains under serious threat".
Small increase in temperature of intruding water could lead to very big increase in loss of ice, scientists say A newly identified tipping point for the loss of ice sheets in Antarctica and elsewhere could mean future sea level rise is significantly higher than current projections. A new study has examined how warming seawater intrudes between coastal ice sheets and the ground they rest on. The warm water melts cavities in the ice, allowing more water to flow in, expanding the cavities further in a feedback loop. This water then lubricates the collapse of ice into the ocean, pushing up sea levels. Continue reading...
An intense cloud of Saharan dust is traveling 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to reach Florida by this weekend. Meteorologists are hopeful it will hold off hurricanes
Scientists working to save Florida’s ailing reef hope Caribbean coral thriving in hotter water could bring some relief.
The clip, created by Spanish animation company MetaBallStudios, gradually descends through a digital underwater scenescape.
After dominating global weather for nearly a year, El Nino's reign has finally ended, US weather agencies reported late Thursday. The update said the Pacific Ocean is likely to transition to La Nina in around two months' time, which implies that conditions will generally favour good monsoon rainfall in India in the second half of the season (Aug-Sept).
A viral photo collage from Rio de Janeiro's Sugarloaf Mountain purportedly shows that sea levels have remained stable for 140 years. Why does the mountain seem to have gained instead of lost land mass?
TEL AVIV - A sea-borne pandemic that wiped out sea urchin populations in the Red Sea has spread and is taking out the species in parts of the Indian Ocean and could go global, scientists in Israel say.
Alberto Lopez prepares breakfast with water lapping at his ankles. In preparation for the move, his family is stacking clothes and other meager belongings on a small table at the front door, along with cleaning supplies and a Bible.
300 families packing their belongings in preparation for a dramatic change.
The collapse marked the sixth in four years at the North Carolina seashore, which has been hit hard by rapidly rising sea levels.
The Royal Irrigation Department is considering a number of measures to prepare for floods during the rainy season, as the weather conditions look set to become much wetter when the La Nina phenomenon begins in a few months.
A three-year study found that the spiny lobsters’ urine scared off predatory worms and snails who snack on the delicate organisms An unexpected champion has emerged in the increasingly grave battle to save Florida’s imperiled coral reefs: spiny lobsters that urinate in the water and scare off predatory worms and snails seeking to feast on the delicate organisms. The finding is one of the more bizarre conclusions of a three-year study by scientists from the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC), who are also warning it may already be too late for some species of coral to survive without significant human assistance. Continue reading...
TRAT - Aquatic life from coral reefs to fish in the Thailand's eastern gulf coast is suffering as sea surface temperatures hit record highs this month amid a regional heatwave, worrying scientists and local communities.
Small island developing states (SIDS) are scattered across the globe, dotting the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, the west and east coasts of Africa and the Indian Ocean. These low-lying highly indebted countries are on the frontlines of climate change and natural resource scarcity, already facing the extremes of sea level rise, unpredictable weather events, and […]
In an ongoing swarm of earthquakes that began hitting Japan in 2020, the shifting weight of surface water may have spurred the shaking
Species, with only a few dozen seen by humans since first discovered, usually lives in darkness up to 3,300ft below sea level Oregon beachgoers stumbled across a rare find over the weekend, after a deep-sea anglerfish washed up from the ocean depths. The discovery marked the first time this creature, which typically dwells in the darkness up to 3,300ft below sea level, was seen on Oregon shores according to the local Seaside Aquarium, which posted about it on Facebook. Continue reading...
Amid record ocean temperatures, coral bleaching has been recorded in 62 countries and territories since February 2023.
Whether chemical sunscreens damage or kill corals in the wild is still the subject of scientific debate.
When a phone line goes down in Coral Harbour, Nunavut, local technician John Pudlat doesn't jump in his vehicle to go fix it. He packs up his dog sled.
The community on the coast of Washington state has a plan to establish a new village with low-impact development and green infrastructure.
After nearly a decade of implementing the experiment at three different environmentally damaged sites in the Red Sea, and under the auspices and support of the United Nations Development Programme’s Global Environment Facility (GEF), environmental researchers from the Abu Salam Environmental Association and the Red Sea Reserves, in scientific collaboration with the Department of Marine … The post Egypt’s Red Sea coral reef restoration project achieves breakthrough in Middle East appeared first on Egypt Independent.
The debris from Lahaina's fire contains toxic chemicals and sits right next to a coral reef. So the community is collaborating with scientists to track water quality.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Volume 129, Issue 5, May 2024.
As France prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, erosion and rising sea levels are threatening to strip away what remains of the physical history of the Allied invasion of Europe
As scientists rush to save ailing corals elsewhere, in Venezuela locals are trying to kill off this stinky variety.
Cities, towns and vacation spots across the American South are 'drowning' under rapidly rising tides that could soon put them underwater.
The Impacts of El Niño Go Far Beyond Water wil.thomas@wri.org Thu, 05/02/2024 - 17:10 Over the past several months, the climate pattern El Niño has disrupted different regions and sectors across the world. Zimbabwe recently declared a state of disaster, due largely to El Nino-induced drought. The city government in Bogota, Colombia announced water rationing as reservoir levels dropped to critical lows, restricting water use for approximately 10 million people. El Niño occurs every two to seven years, usually lasting between nine and 12 months. It decreases Pacific trade winds, which increase water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and lead to a range of climate and weather effects across the Americas, Southern Africa and Southeast Asia. And while most attention...
Researchers have found a blue hole they say is the deepest in the world — and they’ve yet to find where it bottoms out. The formation is the Taam Ja’ Blue Hole in Mexico’s Chetumal Bay, and it has so far been measured to 1,378 feet deep, or 420 meters below sea level.Read more...
With 40 per cent of the capital already below sea level, some 10.6 million people in the inner city (and 30 million in the wider area) could face displacement from Jakarta.
Alabama and the U.S. Gulf Coast region have seen a sudden burst of sea level rise, spurring flooding in low areas exacerbated by rainfall and high tides.
Dangerous temperatures, intensified by El Nino, have forced authorities across Southeast Asia to issue heat warnings and close schools. Here's why El Nino and its sibling, La Nina, have such far-reaching weather impacts.
Sea level rise alone could drive 320,000 people from coastal areas to the city. The post Atlanta’s population could boom as people flee sea level rise, wildfires, and hurricanes appeared first on Yale Climate Connections.
The Burgers' Zoo in the Netherlands recently welcomed a pair of self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project into Europe's largest coral reef.
Experienced snorkeller Les Finch, 72, died on February 27 after he was found unconcious in the water in a renowned coral hotspot known as Three Pools in Egypt.
Targeted culling of crown-of-thorns starfish has resulted in parts of the Great Barrier Reef maintaining and even increasing coral cover, leading researchers to call for the programme to be dramatically scaled up
[DW] El Nino is causing extreme weather events in East Africa and a crippling drought in the south of the continent. Experts say immediate action is needed to tackle famine and displacement.
China faces severe land subsidence issues, affecting major cities like Beijing and Tianjin. The study warns that nearly a quarter of coastal lands could sink below sea level within the next century, posing significant threats to coastal areas.
Development and groundwater pumping are causing land subsidence and heightening the risks of sea level rise.
Coral bleaching is evident across 73 percent of the famed marine park, as abnormally high ocean temperatures propel the world’s fourth mass bleaching event.
Scientists fear time is running out to protect the World Heritage Site.
The full extent of the impact is still unknown despite a 'gutwrenching' update on Wednesday which revealed almost three-quarters of the reef has been affected.
People who fish in Florida and in federal waters are required to have special gear on board to help ensure groupers, snappers and other reef fish survive when they're returned to the water.
Scientists say it's shaping up to be the worst one yet.
Coral in the coastal town of Bauan frequently suffered from natural hazards like typhoons and human-caused destruction.
Coral reefs around the world are experiencing global bleaching for the fourth time due to prolonged warming of the oceans, according to reef scientists.
The US NOAA reported a major coral bleaching event caused by warming oceans and climate change, with 2023 being the hottest year on record. Coral bleaching is becoming more frequent and severe, impacting coral reefs worldwide. The bleaching has been confirmed in at least 53 countries or territories, including the Great Barrier Reef and Florida's coral reef.
Ocean heat records have been breaking for months. This is the first global evidence of the impacts on sea life.
The percentage of reef areas experiencing bleaching-level heat stress is increasing by about 1% a week, scientists say Global heating has pushed the world’s coral reefs to a fourth planet-wide mass bleaching event that is on track to be the most extensive on record, US government scientists have confirmed. Some 54% of ocean waters containing coral reefs have experienced heat stress high enough to cause bleaching, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch said. Continue reading...
The world's oceans are now undergoing the fourth global coral bleaching event on record and the second in the last 10 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Monday.
This is the second one in the past decade, the agency determined.
Three fishermen got into trouble after their boat hit a coral reef and took on water.
Researchers have developed the Coral Fort, a biodegradable cage that's made in part with biodegradable straws.
Scientists in Florida have created a "Coral Fort" from biodegradable drinking straws that can protect lab-grown coral from predators after it is transplanted into the wild.
Originating in the Pacific Ocean, the El Nino climate pattern is intensifying drought from Africa to Asia. Here's why El Nino and its sibling, La Nina, have such far-reaching weather impacts.
Paper dates 82 pottery pieces found in single dig site at between 3,000 and 2,000 years old Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Groundbreaking archaeological research may have upended the longstanding belief that Aboriginal Australians did not make pottery. A paper published in the Quaternary Science Reviews on Wednesday details the finding of 82 pottery pieces from a single dig site on a Great Barrier Reef island, dates them at between 3,000 and 2,000 years old and determines that the pots were most likely made by Aboriginal people using locally sourced clay and temper. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue...
Sea surface temperatures are up to 1.5C above average, leading to more damage.
This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Out among a scattering of islands spilled like beads into the Indonesian shallows, an extended experiment in coral restoration has revealed something marvelous: With a tender touch and a community to care for it, a reef can fully recover from the […]
Observatory said minor tsunami 2.75cm above normal sea levels reached city about 1pm and 100 Hongkongers reported feeling small tremors after Taiwan earthquake.
Home property damages could cost $109 billion by 2050, scientists estimate. But the findings are likely an underestimate ignoring damage to bridges, hospitals and more
Perhaps in a bid to survive financially, an absolutely massive price cut has slashed the MSRP of various Fisker Ocean variants by thousands of dollars.
Low-lying islands standing less than 3m above sea level are at high risk of disappearing.
BEIJING - China's coast guard said a number of Philippine personnel ignored its warnings and illegally landed on a reef that is part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on March 21.
A NASA-funded commercial space station, Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef, recently completed testing milestones for its critical life support system as part of the agency’s efforts for new destinations in low Earth orbit. The four milestones are part of a NASA Space Act Agreement originally awarded to Blue Origin in 2021 and focused on the materials […]
Records were once again broken for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, sea level rise, ice cover and glacier retreat, a new global report issued by the UN weather agency (WMO) on Tuesday shows.
Scientists working off the U.S. Virgin Islands found that the sounds of a healthy coral reef, played on underwater speakers, could encourage a degraded reef to regenerate.
Discovery was made after First Nations tipped off ecologists about groups of fish gathering in a fjord off British Columbia Deep in the hostile waters off Canada’s west coast, in a narrow channel surrounded by fjords, lies a coral reef that scientists believe “shouldn’t exist”. The reef is the northernmost ever discovered in the Pacific Ocean and offers researchers a new glimpse into the resilience – and unpredictability – of the deep-sea ecosystems. For generations, members of the Kitasoo Xai’xais and Heiltsuk First Nations, two communities off the Central Coast region of British Columbia, had noticed large groups of rockfish congregating in a fjord system. Continue reading...
Sand coated steel frames can help restore coral reefs destroyed by explosives.
Some sites have been used by humans for thousands of years. The post Archaeological sites in North Carolina under threat from sea level rise and storms appeared first on Yale Climate Connections.
Playing sounds from healthy coral reefs at degraded ones encourages coral larvae to settle, a study has found. Scientists recorded audio from thriving reefs and then played it back at reefs in decline. Their work suggests that coral larvae respond to sounds in the ocean to work out where best to settle and grow Continue reading...
Scientists have found a vast 'coral superhighway' that might be key to helping the threatened reefs of the Seychelles survive in a warming climate.
A 'mass bleaching event' is currently taking place on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, endangering diverse marine species. The seventh such event since 1998, climate change is biggest threat to coral reefs. Urgent action is needed to protect ecosystems and dependent plants and animals. Ocean temperatures have reached record levels, risking large-scale coral mortality. The frequency of bleaching events hampers reef recovery.
The agency tasked with monitoring the reef’s health said the coral bleaching is extensive in the shallow water areas.
Aerial surveys over two-thirds of the reef have confirmed 'widespread' bleaching, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said on Friday.
Australia confirms large parts of the Great Barrier Reef show signs of bleaching. Increased ocean temperature caused by climate change is the main cause.
A "mass bleaching event" is unfolding on Australia's famed Great Barrier Reef, authorities said Friday, as warming seas threaten the spectacular home to thousands of marine species.
A marine heat wave last year undercut efforts to regrow coral reefs off Florida's coast. Conservationists are worried this year could be problematic, too.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider Thursday which sites to protect off Monterey Bay in order to restore and preserve deep-sea corals.
The subsidence of land caused by the extraction of water and fossil fuels is exacerbating the threat of sea level rise in many US cities, including New Orleans
LONDON - The world is on the verge of a fourth mass coral bleaching event which could result in wide swathes of tropical reefs dying, including parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Scientists are warning of devastating coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef if the water does not cool down in the coming weeks.
A hockey team from Coral Harbour, Nunavut, won gold in Rankin Inlet this past weekend, despite not having access to an arena to practise in all season.
March 01, 2024 2:44 PM Sea level rise can increase even modest levels of arsenic due to a phenomenon known as saltwater intrusion.
Projections of flood risk due to sea-level rise on the Samoan islands underestimate the rate at which the islands are sinking after two earthquakes hit in 2009
Scientists say there will be worsening coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef in the coming weeks.
Jeff Bezos has added finishing touches to his $175 million mega mansion in Beverly Hills, which boasts a reef-themed swimming pool and full-size outdoor tennis courts.
Scientists are investigating reports of dying coral from Lizard Island in the north to Heron Island in the south Scientists are reporting corals are bleaching white and dying from rising ocean temperatures across a more than 1,000km stretch of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Australian Institute of Marine Science were preparing on Thursday to carry out surveys from a helicopter across the southern section of the reef. Continue reading...
Marine researchers say they discovered more than 100 new species and several previously unidentified seamounts during an expedition in the southeast Pacific, off the coast of Chile, over January and February. A Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition led by Dr Javier Sellanes of Chile’s Universidad Catolica del Norte identified species including deep-sea corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, squat lobsters, and others during an exploration of seamounts along the Nazca and Salas y Gomez Ridge, located both inside and outside of Chile’s jurisdiction, the Schmidt Ocean Institute said. Using an underwater robot capable of reaching depths of 4,500 meters, or just under three miles, researchers mapped 52,777 square kilometers of seafloor and discovered four previously unknown seamounts, or underwater...
Emergency crews in coastal Ecuador were scrambling to cope with damaging storms caused by the El Nino climate pattern on February 20. A video released on X by Guayaquil’s mayor, Aquiles Álvarez, depicts a team navigating floodwater in the coastal village of Posorja. Emergency crews were dealing with fallen trees, power outages, and structural collapses, according to local media. Some areas have received more than 165 mm (6.5 inches) of rain, according to Ecuador’s meteorological service. Credit: Aquiles Alvarez via Storyful
TRANG: Park officials are taking legal action against the owners of a tourist boat found moored on a coral reef off Koh Kradan, a popular snorkelling spot.
A team of researchers completed a scientific mission Wednesday to assess the damage from last year's record-high marine temperatures on restored coral reefs in the Florida Keys.
Sea surface temperatures have been skyrocketing beyond expectations. That may be a bad sign for hurricane season—and the health of ocean ecosystems.
A GAO report laid out recommendations for the NOAA program to better track expenditures to share progress with outside groups.
February 09, 2024 7:10 AM The La Nina weather pattern is characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.
City engineers are looking at redesigning piers to withstand bigger surf with a rise in sea levels. Others face relocation or removal.
Three new levels added by US Coral Reef Watch after ‘extreme’ unprecedented heat, with highest alert warning of ‘near complete mortality’ The world’s main system for warning about heat stress on the planet’s coral reefs has been forced to add three new alert categories to represent ever-increasing temperature extremes. The changes introduced by the US government’s Coral Reef Watch program come after reefs across the Americas were hit by unprecedented levels of heat stress last year that bleached and killed corals en masse. Continue reading...
A landslide has shut down the popular rail line, which sits on an oceanfront cliff dogged by erosion and sea-level rise.
Strong waves and sediment-laden freshwater pushed out from river catchments may have damaged parts of reef system, experts say Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Back-to-back cyclones crossing the Great Barrier Reef have experts concerned vast flood plumes and heavy waves may have damaged parts of the world’s biggest coral reef system. Reef scientists and conservationists went into the summer worried that an El Niño weather pattern would elevate the risk of mass coral bleaching. Continue reading...
Indian Ocean stability and security are vital for Southeast Asia, to defend against pirates and secure oil cargo and trade. Amid US-China rivalry, India is Asean’s natural security partner.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Volume 129, Issue 1, January 2024.
After a disastrous year for coral reefs in which abnormally high ocean temperatures served a fatal blow to many of the vital underwater ecosystems, researchers have found a glimmer of hope off the coast of the U.S. – the largest-ever deep-sea coral reef. It's been known since the 1960s that there were massive mounds of cold-water coral off the East Coast, and for years, NOAA researchers say they thought their study area, the Blake Plateau, was "sparsely inhabited." But more than a decade of mapping and exploration "revealed one of the largest deep-sea coral reef habitats found to date anywhere in the world," NOAA Ocean Exploration operations chief Kasey Cantwell said. Researchers found the reef system in a study area of the Blake Plateau nearly the size of Florida, ranging roughly from Miami...
NPR's Scott Detrow talks with Temple University biology professor Erik Cordes about the discovery of the world's largest known deep-sea coral habitat.
[The Conversation Africa] Lake Retba, better known as Lac Rose (the Pink Lake), is located around 35km from the city of Dakar, Senegal. It sits in a depression with a shoreline 6.5 metres below sea level.
An expanse of frozen water larger than two NSWs or seven Victorias is disappearing faster than scientists had predicted.
The sea rises, and having witnessed a preview years ago on my own beach, I am here to report that the future is ugly.
Government analysis finds climate change could see a quarter of Port Philip council area facing inundation from a 1.1-metre sea level rise and one-in-100-chance storm Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast More than 4.7 sq km of inner-Melbourne and swathes of Port Phillip Bay could face the threat of rising sea levels and storm tides fuelled by climate change in the coming decades, complex modelling released by the Victorian government shows. The Port Phillip Bay coastal hazard assessment , released on Thursday, found that Docklands and Southbank in the Melbourne city council area could face inundation in the scenario of a 1.1-metre sea level rise, during a one-in-100-chance storm-tide event. Continue reading...
The vessel, Lomaiviti Princess 9 hit the reef as it arrived at the Lomaloma jetty yesterday.
Up and down the Atlantic Coast, the land is steadily sinking, or subsiding. That’s destabilizing levees, roads, and airports, just as sea levels are rising.
[ANGOP] Luanda -- The first phase of the construction of the "Barra do Dande" Ocean Terminal (TOBD), with a capacity to store 582,000 cubic meters of liquid and gaseous fuels, will be completed this year, the Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo, announced on Wednesday in Luanda.
Most tourists probably don’t know anything about the crazy, wacky communities on the sea floor. It’s an explosion of colour, it really looks like an art gallery down there Everything down on the seafloor is amazing to me. When you think of Antarctica, you think of penguins, whales, sea and ice in a stark landscape. I love the charismatic megafauna but there are so many other interesting things in Antarctica – life on the seafloor rivals that of the Great Barrier Reef. The view above the surface is quite monochrome but underneath the organisms are oranges, yellows, pinks – there is a coral that is psychedelic purple! Most tourists that go to Antarctica probably don’t know anything about the crazy, wacky communities on the sea floor – all of that intrigues me. It’s an explosion of colour, it...
The recent election of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has injected new impetus into India and China’s focus on Indian Ocean states. However, the real challenge for major powers will be dealing with exigencies, such as rising sea levels, that go beyond hard security issues.
The International Surfing Association said alternatives for installing a judging tower should be found. It cited "the likelihood that any new construction on the reef will have an impact on the natural environment."
Fate of more than a dozen islands ‘hangs in the balance’ because of climate crisis, with vexed questions about maritime jurisdiction Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast More than a dozen of Australia’s coral islands that help to extend the country’s maritime jurisdiction are at high risk of disappearing because of climate change, according to a study. The fate of the low-lying islands now “hangs in the balance”, said the scientist who led the study, with rising sea levels, marine heatwaves, intensifying weather systems and ocean acidification compounding the risk. Continue reading...
Teahupo'o is famed on the surfing circuit for its big waves, but fierce concerns in Tahiti for marine life have proved to be a challenge for Olympics organizers.
Turks and Caicos Islanders are helping protect the reef from the deadliest ever coral sickness.
2023 is first year of potential pair of El Niño years and since 1997, every instance of these pairs has led to mass coral mortality Record-breaking land and sea temperatures, driven by climate breakdown, will probably cause “unprecedented mass coral bleaching and mortality” throughout 2024, according to a pioneering coral scientist. The impact of climate change on coral reefs has reached “uncharted territory”, said Prof Ove Hoegh-Guldberg , from the University of Queensland, Australia, leading to concerns that we could be at a “tipping point”. Continue reading...
The Navy said a team worked through the weekend to use inflatable cylinders, or roller bags, to lift and roll the plane off the reef where it crashed on Nov. 20.
The US Navy P-8A plane missed its mark while attempting to land at a Marines base, located ten miles from Honolulu, on November 20. For two weeks it sat floating in Kaneohe Bay.
Professional diver Matthew Davitt has recalled the terrifying moment he was attacked by a 1.8 metre bull shark on the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland's Cape York last week.
The president of French Polynesia has questioned whether 2024 Olympic surfing can go ahead at the planned site in Tahiti, saying he was concerned about safety and damage to coral from a planned judging tower.
Fund to help world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries hit by climate disaster is first decision agreed at conference Cop28 live – latest updates Why loss and damage funds are key to climate justice Developing countries celebrated a landmark victory on the first day of the Cop28 UN climate summit in Dubai, when a new loss and damage fund for the poorest and most vulnerable countries was agreed to help them deal with the irreversible impacts of climate disaster. It was met with a standing ovation from delegates. Host country UAE and Germany both pledged $100m (£79m) to the loss and damage startup fund, which will aim to keep up with the rising costs caused by extreme weather and slow-onset disasters such as sea level rise, ocean acidification and melting glaciers. Cop28: Can...
November 30, 2023 11:31 AM The El Nino weather pattern expected to generate hotter and drier conditions across large swathes of the country.
Land reclaimed for the plan could span 800 hectares, giving the densely populated city state more space for homes, parks and industry, a government minister said.
Adrian Meyer, from Angaston in South Australia , died after he and a group of snorkellers were swept away by a strong current over the reef last Monday.
The son of a 71-year-old man who died while on a tour of the Great Barrier Reef claims the company's lawyer approached him while he was hugging his father's body.
‘Bog oak’ study finds more than 400 well preserved yews, which could help solve mystery of historic rapid sea level rise The flat landscape of the East Anglian Fens is known for its vast arable fields and absence of trees. But just over 4,000 years ago, these lowlands were dominated by dense woods of ancient yew trees. A study of hundreds of tree trunks inadvertently dug up by fenland farmers has found that this woodland abruptly disappeared 4,200 years ago, probably because a rapid rise in the North Sea flooded the low-lying region with saltwater. Continue reading...
Residents near Kaneohe Bay were eager to hear plans for the massive plane's removal and were worried about possible damage to the coral reef in the area, along with harms from fuel and other chemicals.
MALE, Maldives - Rising sea levels threaten to swamp the Maldives and the Indian Ocean archipelago is already out of drinking water, but the new president says he has scrapped plans to relocate citizens.
Coral reefs in the Seychelles off Africa may indicate where sea level rise will be felt the hardest as human-caused climate change impacts the world’s oceans.
The Indigenous A’i Cofán people invoke their ancestors and carry spears but also use drones, GPS mapping and the courts as they fight to protect their land from a rapacious gold rush With short amulet-covered spears made of blackened chonta palm, GIS mapping phones, walkie-talkies and wearing black and green uniforms, the A’i Cofán seem to merge into the jungle as they march silently down a path through their land. Calling themselves the Indigenous guard, the 27-strong group patrols a territory of 243 sq miles (630 sq km), stretching from more than 2,500 metres above sea level in the Andean foothills down into the Amazon rainforest. Continue reading...
The crab usually associated with the mid-Atlantic is showing up in lobster traps in Maine. Scientists say it's due to the state's quickly warming ocean waters.
November 09, 2023 3:49 AM AYOLAS, Paraguay - Heavy rains caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon has sent hundreds to shelters in the town of Ayolas in southern Paraguay, with residents bracing for more flooding on the way.
November 08, 2023 5:03 PM The ongoing El Nino weather pattern is set to last until at least April 2024, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday, pushing up temperatures in a year already on track to be the warmest on record.
In Brief: Such high-tide flooding that inundates roads and buildings along the west coast of the Americas tends to be uncommon outside of El Niño years, but that could change by the 2030s. An analysis by NASA’s sea level change science team finds that if a strong El Niño develops this winter, cities along the western coasts of the Americas could see an increase in the frequency of high-tide flooding that can swamp roads and spill into low-lying buildings. El Niño is a periodic climate phenomenon characterized by higher-than-normal sea levels and warmer-than-average ocean temperatures along the equatorial Pacific. These conditions can spread poleward along the western coasts of the Americas. El Niño, which is still developing this year...
U.S. officials analyzed data from El Nino winters dating back to 1959 and found the climate phenomenon typically leads to below-average snowfall for much of Canada.
November 04, 2023 7:18 AM The water level at Lake Titicaca on the Peru-Bolivia border is edging towards a record low, exacerbated by the weather phenomenon known as El Nino that is expected to get still more intense in coming months.
Scientists on a 30-day expedition off the coast of Ecuador have mapped two coral reefs and two seamounts more than 1,000 feet beneath the ocean surface.
Marine biologists discovered two pristine deep-sea coral reefs off the coast of the Galápagos islands this week, one of which is over eight football fields long. The reefs sit between 370 and 420 meters below the surface, and their discovery expands our understanding of deep, cold-water reefs in the Galápagos Marine…Read more...
By adding genes to a nonmineralizing relative that’s better suited to lab life, team aims to show how corals build reefs
Ocean modelling suggests coastal cities around the world need to start preparing for several metres of sea level rise over the coming centuries
In Brief: Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is the latest satellite contributing to a 30-year sea level record that researchers are using to compare this year’s El Niño with those of the past. Not all El Niño events are created equal. Their impacts vary widely, and satellites like the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich help anticipate those impacts on a global scale by tracking changes in sea surface height in the Pacific Ocean. Water expands as it warms , so sea levels tend to be higher in places with warmer water. El Niños are characterized by higher-than-normal sea levels and warmer-than-average ocean temperatures along the equatorial Pacific. These conditions can then propagate poleward along the western coasts of the Americas. El Niños...
Geologists have discovered coral reef fossils, including intricate structures of coral colonies, at 18,000 feet above sea level in Burtse, Ladakh, a finding that promises to unlock insights into earth's climate history. Geologist Ritesh Arya has unearthed coral reef fossils at 18,000 feet above sea level at Burtse in the eastern Ladakh Himalayas.
More than 200 scientists, including several from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), from 19 countries have released the first comprehensive assessment of trends in Southern Ocean ecosystems, in a report written … The post Sea change: new blueprint for Southern Ocean appeared first on British Antarctic Survey.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's climate prediction center has forecasted a "strong" El Nino event in the Northern Hemisphere from March to May 2024. There is a 1 in 3 chance that this event could be "historically strong" like the ones in 1997-98 and 2015-16. El Nino has significant impacts on global weather patterns, affecting food production, water availability, and ecosystems. In India, it typically weakens Monsoon winds and leads to reduced rainfall.
A fall in sea surface temperatures around 500 million years ago led to the evolution of aquatic life that could survive in newly hospitable environments
The margarita sea snail, which shoots out a toxic mucus web to catch prey, was discovered on a coral reef in the Florida Keys and was named after Buffett, who died on Sept. 1.
Flooding from rising tides has added at least 23 minutes to the total annual commuting time for people living in coastal communities of the US, adding up to millions of hours wasted each year
October 03, 2023 3:45 PM But experts warned the funding would be only a drop in the ocean unless broader climate risks are addressed.
Are you interested in discovering how high your destination is above sea level? Here's how you can do that on Google Maps on Android, iPhone, and in a browser.
A ghostly dumbo octopus stunned scientists 2,665 meters below the surface on an Ocean Exploration Trust expedition to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii.
Nature, Published online: 28 September 2023; doi:10.1038/d41586-023-03008-3Ozone recovery is predicted to shift westerly winds, which will reduce the amount of warm water flowing into the Southern Ocean.
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 25 September 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01828-9To test the reproducibility of ocean acidification research, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of 373 studies on calcification of marine calcifiers across 24 years. While the size of negative effects declined over time, the results remained reproducible and their limitations were then explored.
A team of marine virologists reported the discovery of a new virus in sediment 29,200 feet below sea level in the Mariana Trench which reaches nearly 36,100 feet at its lowest point.
In Brief: The international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission is able to measure ocean features, like El Niño, closer to a coastline than previous space-based missions. Warm ocean waters from the developing El Niño are shifting north along coastlines in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Along the coast of California, these warm waters are interacting with a persistent marine heat wave that recently influenced the development of Hurricane Hilary. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography ( SWOT ) satellite is able to spot the movement of these warm ocean waters in unprecedented detail. A collaboration between NASA and the French space agency, CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), SWOT is measuring the height of nearly all water on Earth’s...
It all seems so daunting: plastics in the ocean, dying coral reefs, entire species being wiped out – but don’t click away in despair! There really are things everyone can do to help make the ocean cleaner and keep our environment healthier. Here are some easy (or mostly easy) life changes that have a big … The post Some easy (or mostly easy) life changes that have a big impact on the world’s oceans appeared first on Egypt Independent.
James Webb has once again peered into the atmosphere of an exoplanet, and this time it has identified indications that the planet could be covered in ocean.
The Ferry Building has been a beacon to incoming ferry riders since the late 1890s. Threatened by rising sea levels, the waterfront city is considering drastic measures to save its historic shoreline.
Researchers are experimenting with robots to help speed up the restoration of coral reefs.
Voters went to polls in the Maldives on Saturday with incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih facing a tough re-election bid in the Indian Ocean nation of coral atolls.
A team of researchers recently announced that they’ve made a breakthrough with a futuristic solution for saving coral reefs from disappearing from our oceans. Deep freezing pieces of coral and then bringing them back to life. Read more...
Using explosives is illegal, wasteful and devastating to marine life and people’s livelihoods. Yet in Sri Lanka and around the world it’s thriving as a quick and easy route to a lucrative haul The immediate aftermath of a blast is obvious, says Wilson Perera: the ocean turns murky with blood and is strewn with fish that are missing eyes or other organs. Those fish that are wounded swim off to die elsewhere. Their carcasses wash ashore days later. “Everything within a 100-metre radius of the blast is destroyed – coral reefs, marine plants and animals,” says Perera. Continue reading...
From wilting wheat to stressed pollinators, US farmers and fishermen see unexpected climate effects This week, farmers across the midwest are preparing for temperatures to reach 115F (46C) as a heat dome covers the region. After a tricky growing season – that seesawed between drought and unseasonably heavy rains – many midwestern farmers worry the extreme heat will scorch, or at least stunt, their already struggling crops. To say it’s been a hot summer would be an understatement. According to Nasa scientists, July was the hottest month ever recorded. Off the coast of Florida, surface ocean temperatures soared over 101F , bleaching coral reefs. In Arizona, Phoenix residents sweated through a record 31 consecutive days above 110F . Even animals that spend much of their time in the sky...
The Nunavut Government is investigating allegations against a former teacher at Sakku School in Coral Harbour, in the wake of a principal being suspended without explanation and a teacher alleged to have been abusive toward students.
Marine scientists discovered what they dubbed an "octopus garden" nearly two miles below sea level. "We were just absolutely floored."
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project . This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a "bump" for our ask. This week features " How much is sea level rising? ". More will follow in the upcoming weeks. Please follow the Further Reading link at the bottom to read the full rebuttal and to join the discussion in the comment thread there. At a glance You'd think it would be obvious, wouldn't you? If ice (or snow) melts, you get water. Water flows downhill through gravity and collects wherever it can be retained. In areas that see regular winter snowfalls, the processes involved are...
August 18, 2023 3:14 PM Scientists say even a rise of 0.5m to 2m of sea level could submerge 5 to 18 per cent of Bahrain’s total area.
The Professor of Geology and Water Resources at Cairo University Abbas Sharaki discussed the impact the fourth storage of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will have on the High Dam in Egypt. On his Facebook account, Sharaki wrote: “The Renaissance Dam lake reached 614 meters above sea level after the storage of about 12 … The post How the GERD’s 4th storage will impact Egypt’s High Dam appeared first on Egypt Independent.
South-east Florida’s coral reefs are now at highest alert level for bleaching for the first time ever with ‘significant mortality likely’ Florida’s ailing coral reef system is at the risk of a devastating bleaching outbreak after being engulfed in an “unprecedented” heat stress event that stretches throughout the waters of the Caribbean and Central America, US government scientists have warned. South-east Florida’s corals are now at the highest alert level for bleaching for the first time ever, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), with “significant mortality likely” for its corals amid abnormally hot ocean temperatures. Continue reading...
[African Arguments] As they continue to wait in vain for state intervention amid rising sea levels, people in Akwa Ibom are taking matters into their own hands.
The return of the El Nino weather phenomenon is likely to amplify the problems of the climate crisis.
A Florida scuba diver came to the rescue of a shark found tethered to an artificial reef via a hook caught in its mouth.
Scientists stunned by unprecedented heat-stress event in the Americas say they can only hope it ‘motivates and unites people’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Corals across several countries are bleaching and dying en masse from unprecedented levels of heat stress, prompting fears that an unfolding tragedy in Central America, North America and the Caribbean could become a global event. US government scientists have confirmed reefs in Panama, Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico and six countries in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas and Cuba, are suffering significant bleaching, alongside corals in Florida that began turning white almost a month ago. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s...
Armed with scrub brushes, young scuba divers took to the waters of Florida's Alligator Reef in late July to try to help corals struggling to survive 2023's extraordinary marine heat wave.