Author Archives
Reporter, journalist and author who has owned and operated a bookstore, a pool and spa full service business, an apple farm, and is now committed to environmental issues. She has written four books: The Gathering Basket, Connection with 48 Natural Contemplations, Seek Beauty, Find Joy: a Companion Journal to Natural Contemplations; and children's book, Isu Learns to Swim.
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About World Oceans Day, June 8, 2014
Why Should I Celebrate World Oceans Day? The world’s ocean: Generates most of the oxygen we breathe Helps feed us Regulates our climate Cleans the water we drink Offers a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines Provides limitless inspiration! Now each of… Read More ›
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Marine Debris–A Growing Planetary Threat
“Marine debris casts its ominous shadow and threatens to break the virtuous circle which would otherwise guarantee sustainable livelihoods and incentives to protect wildlife.”
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Acidic Oceans and the Lobster, Scallop, & Crab Industry
Today, experts predict pH declines in the world’s oceans of .4 units by the end of this century—a mere 85 years from now.
The oceans absorb over a quarter of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The more we pollute, the more they absorb, and the more acidic they become. It’s unlikely that some marine life that we depend on will be able to adapt to a rate of acidification that is over ten times as fast as during the PETM.
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Microplastics Invade Arctic Ice
The majority of the pieces, 54 percent, were rayon, a manmade material created out of cellulose and used to make clothing, cigarette butts, disposable diapers and other personal-hygiene products, among other consumer goods. The rest were pieces of various other types of polymers — polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polystyrene, acrylic and polyethylene. Identifying the tiny pieces fell largely to Thompson, whose research has focused on marine debris, Obbard said.
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Saving Coral Reefs With Tradition & Science
Editor’s Note: The focus of Neptune 911 is about our oceans’ cry for help. While the following story is a pitch to raise funds by a group of researchers, it is also a response to that cry for help. The… Read More ›
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Research To Add Oxygen to Dead Zones
May 19, 2014 CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new study examining the impact of iron released from continental margin sediments has documented a natural limiting switch that may keep these ocean systems from developing a runaway feedback loop that could lead… Read More ›
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Editor’s Note: Another unusual rash of marine mammals have beached themselves requiring rescue operations along the Pacific coastline. Along the north coast of California, the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, reports 429 pinniped rescues as of early May 2014,… Read More ›
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Dramatic Rescue of Humpback Whale off California’s Central Coast
Editor’s Note: Humpback whales returning from their Mexican winter vacation have collided with Central California’s crabbing industry with the result of nearly a half-dozen whales entangled in crab traps and rigging. The whales returned earlier than normal–all while the crabbing… Read More ›
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MBARI Releases Survey of Sunken Shipping Container
Thousands of shipping containers are lost from cargo vessels each year. Many of these containers eventually sink to the deep seafloor. In 2004, scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) discovered a lost shipping container almost 1,300 meters… Read More ›
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Toxic Algae Killing off Sealife, Possible Threat to Humans
“One part of this organism’s life cycle is when it becomes a cyst, like a spore or seed that sits on the bottom,” she said. “When the environmental conditions become optimal — and we don’t know what those conditions are — these cysts can burst out of their little seed pods and come back to life. The worry is that when they bloom we get these giant red tides.”
Neptune 911! 