Ocean Sentry
Black carbon particles, or soot, are collecting in the pristine Arctic, darkening the surface of the snow and ice and causing it to absorb more heat. Scientists believe that black carbon may be causing the region to warm and melt even faster than it otherwise would as the climate continues …
February, 2019
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18 February
Four endangered Hector’s dolphins caught in fishing trawls
Fisheries New Zealand was informed the dolphins were caught in two separate events, one in which one dolphin was caught, and another where three were caught.
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18 February
Plastic chemicals discovered inside bird eggs from remote Arctic
‘Chemicals from plastics have been found inside the eggs of seabirds living in remote Arctic colonies, in the latest sign of pollution contaminating the furthest reaches of the planet.
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15 February
Undersea gases could superheat the planet
For today’s world, the findings could portend an ominous development. The undersea carbon reservoirs released greenhouse gas to the atmosphere as oceans warmed, the study shows, and today the ocean is heating up again due to humanmade global warming.
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15 February
Research forms complex picture of mercury pollution in a period of global change
The loss of coastal wetlands, further complicates the picture. While wetlands can be a source of methylmercury, organic carbon from wetlands may help reduce the amount of mercury that passes into fish and other aquatic species. The conversion of wetlands to other uses means that nature loses an important buffer …
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14 February
Taiji dolphin hunt: activists to launch unprecedented legal challenge
Animal rights activists have launched an unprecedented legal challenge to the slaughter of dolphins in Japan, claiming that fishermen are routinely violating animal welfare laws and exceeding government-set quotas.
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14 February
Ecosystem changes following loss of great white sharks
This 18-year study provided new insights into the diverse ways that a marine ecosystem can be altered following the loss of an apex predator.
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13 February
Right whale calf #6 spotted!
Volunteers with the Marineland Right Whale Project’s shore-based survey verified a new mother-calf pair off North Peninsula State Park in Volusia County. The mother, Catalog #3370, gave birth to her first calf 10 years ago, during the winter of 2008-2009 — this is her second calf.
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12 February
A third of Arabian Gulf marine life could be extinct by 2090, researchers warn
A third of the Arabian Gulf’s marine species could be wiped out by 2090 due to rising sea temperatures, according to researchers.
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12 February
Two porpoise carcasses found on separate Hong Kong shores
Cause of deaths remains unclear, while inconclusive population data makes it hard for experts to analyse statistics. Most cases record blunt force trauma to marine mammal, indicating collisions with vessels, but lack of other related injuries lends little weight to theory.
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12 February
What polar bears in a Russian apartment block reveal about the climate crisis
The echo of the refugee crisis is no accident. More and more species, along with people, are being driven from their homes by climate disruption, raising the risk of conflict.
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12 February
Fishing industry under fire for killing endangered albatrosses
About 3700 breeding pairs of the albatross live on the Antipodean Islands south-east of New Zealand, but the giant seabird is under threat.