The fibers “get enmeshed in their G-I [gastrointestinal] tracts,” where they can pose physical and physiological hazards, explained Laura Kammin, pollution prevention specialist with the Ilinois-Indiana Sea Grant who worked with Mason on the study that documented fibers in Lake Michigan waters.
…our knowledge of the ocean and how we are affecting it is lacking – we have explored less than 5% of the ocean, so the official number of species human activity has wiped out could be much higher.
Editor’s Note: A December 29, 2014 update to this story is added at this story’s end. The Arabian Sea humpback whale may be the most isolated humpback population on the planet, keeping its home in the same place for tens… Read More ›
Editor’s Note: The following post on the “Whale Savers” from the Christian Science Monitor, is posted in part. It is a lengthy article, and we encourage readers to link to the original report (The Whale Savers) The photos posted here… Read More ›
Marine life can potentially choke on plastics but researchers from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) have said tests show toxins absorbed by plastic are transferred to the animal that ingests it. Professor Richard Banati has chartered… Read More ›
“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.”
Some good may come from climate change after all. Dead zones, the most oxygen deprive portions of our world’s oceans, may actually be due for some shrinkage due to changing atmospheric patterns and water temperatures, according to a recently study…. Read More ›
