Neptune 911!

Recent Posts - page 2

• New report connects ocean changes with human activities on land.

  By Charmaine Coimbra on January 24, 2020 • ( 0 )

  

  The report makes clear that to protect the ocean, we must first reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. But we must also reduce ocean stress, caused by overfishing and pollution, so the ocean is healthy enough to weather the changes already underway.

  “The bottom line is that we need the ocean. And right now, the ocean needs us,” said Julie Packard, executive director of the Aquarium. “It’s not too late to take courageous climate action and safeguard the ocean from further damage.” 

• A Sea Bird Dead Zone

  By Charmaine Coimbra on January 17, 2020 • ( 0 )

  

  In a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, a group of scientists from various state and federal agencies, universities and bird rescue organizations documented the die-off and concluded from the data that it was caused by a record-breaking ocean heat wave in 2014 through 2016 that triggered systemic changes throughout the ocean ecosystem.

• From Visible Plastics to Nanoplastics in the Ocean

  By Charmaine Coimbra on January 3, 2020 • ( 0 )

  

  What we commonly see accumulating at the sea surface is “less than the tip of the iceberg, maybe a half of 1% of the total,” says Erik Van Sebille, an oceanographer at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

• Pacific West Coast Acidification Rate Larger than Other Oceans

  By Charmaine Coimbra on December 17, 2019 • ( 0 )

  

  The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which reduces pH levels and concentrations of calcium carbonate, a mineral used by shellfish to calcify their shells. As more carbon is released into the atmosphere, concentrations of calcium carbonate decrease and the shells of organisms like foraminifera get thinner, a trend Osborne saw clearly in the sediment cores she examined.

  “The shell thickness record instantly showed a long-term declining trend,” she said. “It was really obvious across entire record.”

• The Ocean Gasps for Air

  By Charmaine Coimbra on December 9, 2019 • ( 0 )

  

  This loss of oxygen in the ocean is significant enough to affect the planetary cycling of elements such as nitrogen and phosphorous which are, “essential for life on Earth,” Dr. Laffoley said.

• Science Shows Increased Ocean Acidification from Greenhouse Gases

  By Charmaine Coimbra on December 6, 2019 • ( 0 )

  

  As the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide continues to rise, our oceans are playing an increasingly important role in absorbing some of this excess. In fact, it was reported recently that the global ocean annually draws down about a third… Read More ›

• Ocean Climate Plan

  By Charmaine Coimbra on December 4, 2019 • ( 0 )

  

  By David Helvarg Fifteen years ago I was in Fiji on assignment for the book Feeling the Heat, a collection of dispatches from 10 journalists who traveled the world to report on the already visible effects of climate change. In… Read More ›

• Ghost Gear Remains Major Ocean Polluter

  By Charmaine Coimbra on November 7, 2019 • ( 0 )

  

  Lost and abandoned fishing gear which is deadly to marine life makes up the majority of large plastic pollution in the oceans, according to a report by Greenpeace. More than 640,000 tonnes of nets, lines, pots and traps used in… Read More ›

• Recent Data on Plastics in the Ocean

  By Charmaine Coimbra on October 13, 2019 • ( 0 )

  

  Where does our plastic accumulate in the ocean and what does that mean for the future? September 24, 2019 by Hannah Ritchie Our World in Data presents the empirical evidence on global development in entries dedicated to specific topics.  … Read More ›

• Airgun Blasts Set for Alaska–Endangering Beluga Whales

  By Charmaine Coimbra on October 9, 2019 • ( 0 )

  

  Seismic blasting used in oil exploration can reach 250 decibels and be heard for miles. It can cause hearing loss, disorientation and disturb essential marine mammal behaviors such as feeding and breeding. Just over 300 Cook Inlet beluga whales are left after four more washed up dead in Cook Inlet in the past two weeks.

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