Ocean Sentry
Scientists have for the first time shown that some wild corals are feeding on tiny shreds of plastic trash. Worse, the animals seem to prefer those ‘microplastics’ over their natural food—even when the plastic is carrying bacteria that can kill them.
June, 2019
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25 June
Cayman’s diminishing mangroves
In 1976, the western end of Grand Cayman was comprised largely of wetlands. From Prospect to West Bay, researchers recorded 5,330 acres of mangrove and sedge marsh wetlands that year. By 2013, that number had dropped 69% to around 1,633 acres.
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25 June
A depressing new type of pollution has started showing up on shoreline rocks
Researchers have identified a crust of plastic particles building up on shoreline rocks.
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22 June
86 per cent of Great Barrier Reef contaminated with microfibres
The presence of microplastics in our oceans is considered an emerging issue of international concern and this is the first study to examine the interaction between microplastic exposure and intake by marine organisms on the Great Barrier Reef.
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19 June
“Tourists” caught in US with endangered fish bladders worth $3.7 million
No criminal charges have yet been filed against the two men. A judge signed off on the search warrant on June 4, which will give investigators the chance to more closely examine the men’s phones. This could shed light on any larger operation that might exist, including names of suppliers …
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18 June
Study finds remote climate ‘events’ can drive marine heatwaves
A new international study involving The University of Western Australia has found marine heatwaves can be influenced by climate ‘events’ that take place thousands of kilometers away.
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18 June
The complex fate of Antarctic species in the face of a changing climate
Writing in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, scientists present support for the theory that marine invertebrates with larger body size are generally more sensitive to reductions in oxygen than smaller animals, and so will be more sensitive to future global climate change.
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16 June
Climate change may turn important marine organisms into ‘junk food’
A new experiment by San Francisco State University scientists shows that the oceans of the future may make some types of microscopic algae poor eating for the creatures that feed on them.
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16 June
Greenland lost 2 billion tons of ice this week, which is very unusual
Over 40% of Greenland experienced melting Thursday, with total ice loss estimated to be more than 2 gigatons (equal to 2 billion tons) on just that day alone.
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12 June
Hot summers causing arctic sinkholes as permafrost thaws rapidly: study
Arctic sinkholes are appearing across the Canadian High Arctic as permafrost — ice expected to be frozen year-round — thaws and collapses due to climate change, according to research published Monday.
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12 June
In hot water? Study says warming may reduce sea life by 17%
The world’s oceans will likely lose about one-sixth of their fish and other marine life by the end of the century if climate change continues on its current path, a new study says.
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9 June
Arctic coast erosion revealed by drone images
Extreme erosion of Arctic coastlines in a changing climate—up to a metre a day—has been revealed with drone surveys.