From Mexico to Alaska, starfish have been mysteriously melting for more than a year. When a starfish first gets sick, its arms pretzel up and white lesions form on its skin. Next, the starfish, normally plush with water absorbed to… Read More ›
Condition of Oceans
Political Tensions Threaten Antarctic Conservation
Crucial decisions about the future of Antarctica are being made at a meeting in Hobart this week but Australia’s diplomatic standoff with Russia has threatened to derail negotiations. The annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine… Read More ›
Ocean Health Report Card: D Grade
one reason the overall scores ticked up since 2012 was because conservation measures have been gaining some ground and slowing some of the decline that has occurred since the preindustrial era. New marine protected areas have also “made a big difference,”
“Giant Hotspot” in Alaskan Waters Attracts Unusual Species
“The Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea have become … unusually warm in a way that has species showing up in very odd places and could have lasting implications for fisheries in both places,” said Michael Milstein of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. “Parts of the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea are close to 5 degrees F higher than average. Warm conditions like this in the past have had effects on fisheries.”
“Unusual Summertime Warming” off California Coast
From JPL, California Institute of Technology Unusual summertime warming off California Coast (September, 2014) Visit Neptune 911 for Kids, for a “kids version” of this story. Date: Thursday, September 4, 2014 Recently an episode of intensified coastal warming off California… Read More ›
Gulf of Maine’s Prize Seafood Leaves for Cooler Seas
FRIENDSHIP, Maine — Imagine Cape Cod without cod. Maine without lobster. The region’s famous rocky beaches invisible, obscured by constant high waters. It’s already starting to happen. The culprit is the warming seas — and in particular the Gulf of… Read More ›
Domoic Poisoning Seriously Impacting California’s Central Coast
MORRO BAY, Calif. – Packed with large nets, wooden boards and a large crate, a dark blue truck scoured the edges of surfer-lined Pismo Beach late one morning earlier this month. Onlookers in the distance tipped them off to what… Read More ›
20 Coral Species Listed as “Threatened”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is protecting 20 types of colorful coral by putting them on the list of threatened species, partly because of climate change. As with the polar bear, much of the threat to the coral species… Read More ›
Radioactivity in Pacific Ocean from Fukushima?
A recent report in The Guardian, “US sailors prepare for fresh legal challenge over Fukushima radiation,” appears to confirm radioactive releases that were not originally reported by the nuclear power plant’s owners. Similar stories give fair rise to concerns about subsequent radioactive pollution in the ocean.
Neptune 911! 