Ocean Sentry
Concerns about biodiversity tend to focus on the loss of species from ecosystems, but a new study suggests that the loss of variation within species can also have important ecological consequences.
December, 2017
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10 December
Lawsuit launched against Trump administration for approving dumping of offshore fracking waste into Gulf of Mexico
The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a formal notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for allowing oil companies to dump waste from fracking and drilling into the Gulf of Mexico without evaluating the dangers to sea turtles, whales or other imperiled marine life.
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10 December
Mysterious ‘white plague’ threatens South Florida coral reefs
A mysterious epidemic continues to sweep South Florida’s reefs, transforming corals into lifeless skeletons and threatening undersea structures that support tourism, provide hurricane protection and serve as homes to a vast range of marine life.
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10 December
Time running out for WTO to act on fishing subsidies
Subsidies paid to the fishing industry amount to around US$35 billion per year (232 billion yuan). Of this, US$20 billion (132 billion yuan) are given in forms that enhance the capacity of large fishing fleets, such as fuel subsidies and tax exemption programmes.
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8 December
Marine organisms can shred a plastic bag into 1.75 million pieces, study shows
A single plastic carrier bag could be shredded by marine organisms into around 1.75million microscopic fragments, according to new research.
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8 December
Hong Kong’s wet markets selling 17 types of threatened fish, study says
Seventeen threatened species of fish were found in Hong Kong’s wet markets during a study conducted by sustainable seafood education platform Choose Right Today.
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7 December
Environmental scientists call for worldwide ban on glitter
Glitter may look pretty, but researchers are finding that it has toxic effects on animal life across the globe.
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7 December
Mangroves lack the genetic diversity to adapt to climate change
New research shows that these salt-water-loving plants are likely ill-equipped to cope with the sea level rise.
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5 December
A million bottles a minute: Oceans choke on plastic binge
The world’s oceans are under the greatest threat in history and life in the seas risks irreparable damage from a rising tide of plastic waste, the United Nations has warned.
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5 December
A giant iceberg in West Antarctica is disintegrating, and scientists are worried
When the fastest melting glacier in Antarctica surrenders itself to the ocean, the results can be pretty dramatic to watch – and, as scientists explain, worrying.
November, 2017
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29 November
Melting ice could mess up deep sea chemistry
Melting glaciers might be making ocean water more acidic, an unexpected finding that’s given scientists new cause for concern.
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27 November
Soaring deforestation new threat to Great Barrier Reef
Coral bleaching and the effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reefhave drawn international focus, but another threat has emerged to one of the world’s most famous natural wonders – the systematic clearing of native bushland.