Ocean Sentry
A salvage operation is underway more than three weeks after the MV Solomon Trader ran aground on a reef in the Solomon Islands while loading bauxite on the remote island of Rennell during tropical cyclone Oma.
March, 2019
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5 March
Human ‘footprint’ on Antarctica measured for first time
The full extent of the human ‘footprint’ on Antarctica has been revealed for the first time by new research which used satellite images to measure stations, huts, runways, waste sites and tourist camps at 158 locations. The study found that more than half of all large ice-free coastal areas of …
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5 March
Ocean heat waves are killing underwater life, threatening biodiversity
A new study published today in Nature Climate Change found that the occurrences of marine heat waves have substantially grown in the past three decades, and it’s becoming clearer how deadly warmer temperatures are for biodiversity.
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3 March
Russia orders release of 100 captive whales after pressure from Leonardo DiCaprio
Russian authorities have ordered the release of 100 captive orca and beluga whales after online pressure from Leonardo DiCaprio.
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2 March
Warming oceans are depleting global fish stocks
According to a new study, increased temperatures shrank the number of fish hauled from the ocean by 4.1% between 1930 and 2010 — that’s without taking into account overfishing which is still the primary threat to fish stocks.
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1 March
Despite export bans global seahorse trade continues
The new research from UBC indicates that many nations with bans apparently continued to export dried seahorses, thus neither meeting their obligations under CITES nor enforcing the trade bans.
February, 2019
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28 February
Humanity producing potentially harmful chemicals faster than they can test their effects, experts warn
Humans and wildlife face escalating risks from potentially harmful chemical because the production of new compounds is outstripping capacity to test their toxicity, experts warned.
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28 February
Record-breaking February weather is due to warming of the Arctic, says climate expert
“Evidence suggests that the warming of the Arctic is destabilising the jet stream, which is bringing up warm air to Europe and forcing down cold air from the polar regions in some other parts.”
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27 February
Iceberg twice the size of New York City is set to break away from Antarctica
Once a rapidly spreading rift intersects with another fissure, an iceberg of at least 660sq miles is set to be loosened, Nasa says.
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27 February
Australia greenlights dumping 1 million tons of sludge in Great Barrier Reef waters
Despite strict laws on dumping waste, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) gave the go-ahead. A loophole was found – the laws don’t apply to materials generated from port maintenance work.
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27 February
World’s deepest waters becoming ‘ultimate sink’ for plastic waste
The world’s deepest ocean trenches are becoming “the ultimate sink” for plastic waste, according to a study that reveals contamination of animals even in these dark, remote regions of the planet.
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26 February
The ocean is running out of breath, scientists warn
Widespread and sometimes drastic marine oxygen declines are stressing sensitive species—a trend that will continue with climate change.