Home/Posts Tagged ‘marine’
Posts Tagged ‘marine’
Conservation, Politics, Sep 13th, 2010,
The Chagos Islands, aka British Indian Ocean Territory, is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom containing many small islands, the largest being Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia was famously – and forcibly – evacuated by the UK government in the 1960s to make way for a US military base. After several court cases, the islanders have still not been allowed to resettle their homeland. The Chagos’ only inhabitants are currently US military living on Diego Garcia. Furthermore, last April a 250,000 square mile (650,000 sq km) Marine Protected Area (MPA) was established around the archipelago prohibiting commercial fishing. From an…
Tags: billionaire, British, Chagos, Diego Garcia, government, Indian, islands, marine, Military, MPA, ocean, overseas territory, Swiss, UK, US
Pollution, Wildlife & Flora, Aug 24th, 2010,
A recent study attempting to measure the amount of plastic debris in the Atlantic has shed more light on the scale of this type marine pollution and its effects on ocean ecosystems. The findings, which analyze data collected from 22 years of oceanic surveys, list several impacts of plastic on marine life, including animals becoming entangled in plastic debris, animals eating plastic and debris facilitating the redistribution of certain species outside their normal habitat. From an article in Wired: The data were gathered by thousands of undergraduates aboard the Sea Education Association (SEA) sailing semester, who hand-picked, counted and measured…
Tags: Atlantic, debris, garbage, marine, ocean, Patch, plastic, sea, study
Green living, Aug 13th, 2010,
A massive 22.5m (73ft) tall, 130-ton tidal power generator was unveiled yesterday in the Scottish Highlands, ahead of testing at the European Marine Energy Centre off Scotland’s Orkney Islands. The AK-1000, built by Atlantis Resources, looks like a tough, squat version of a wind turbine, but with two sets of blades so it can catch both directions of tidal flow. From a BBC News report: In order to get a robust turbine we have had to make what we call ultimately the dumbest, simple but most robust turbine you could possibly put in such a harsh environment. –Tim Cornelius, chief…
Tags: Atlantis, marine, Orkney, power, resources, Scotland, sea, tidal, turbine
Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Aug 6th, 2010,
The Census of Marine Life is a 10-year worldwide project conducted by a network of researchers and coordinated in part by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. The aim of the census – the first global study of its kind – is to ‘explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans’. From an article in the Telegraph: They hope that by creating the first catalogue of the world’s oceans we can begin to understand the great ecological questions about habitat loss, pollution, overfishing and all the other man-made plagues that are being visited on the sea. The truth…
Tags: biodiversity, census, ecological, fish, life, marine, Mediterranean, ocean, overfishing, Pollution, sea
Climate Change, Nature, Jul 30th, 2010,
Phytoplankton – the microscopic algae that form the basis for marine food chains – have declined by 40% since 1950, at a rate of 1% per year. Phytoplankton also absorb CO2 and produce roughly half the Earth’s breathable oxygen. According to the first large-scale plankton-measuring study of its kind, researchers have correlated the decline in phytoplankton to climate change. From an article in The Ecologist: The authors suggest rising sea surface temperatures linked to global warming are the reason for the decline. As ocean temperatures rise they become more stable and less nutrients are brought up towards the surface where…
Tags: algae, chain, food, marine, oxygen, phytoplankton
Climate Change, Green living, Pollution, Jul 22nd, 2010,
A new study from the UK’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) reports that the state of British seas has improved since the last report in 2005. Coastal waters are getting cleaner, fish stocks are improving and species diversity in estuaries is increasing, according to the most authoritative examination ever carried out of UK seas. –Guardian Yet despite these improvements, climate change is raising sea levels, temperatures and ocean acidity; and British coasts are trashier than ever – and they’re talking about litter, not the tackiness levels of seaside ‘resorts’ like Blackpool. The changing climate, along with European…
Tags: acidity, British, climate, Defra, environment, fish, improving, marine, seas, UK
Climate Change, Pollution, Recycling, Jul 13th, 2010,
Eco-warrior and youngest air to a banking fortune, David de Rothschild set out in April on a well-publicized trip from California to Australia aboard a vessel constructed from recycled plastic bottles. The raft, christened the Plastiki, is set to arrive in Sydney in about two weeks time. The purpose of Rothschild’s journey: To draw attention to marine pollution – particularly from plastics – and the overfishing of the world’s oceans. Oceanographers estimate that there may be as much as 100 million tons of plastic suspended in the waters of the eastern garbage patch, a soup of plastic and other trash…
Tags: australia, Climate change, David, fish, marine, ocean, plastic, Plastiki, Pollution, Rothschild, Sydney
Green living, Science & Technology, Jun 21st, 2010,
A massive 10-megawatt wind turbine is currently being built in Northumberland, UK for offshore wind power generation – believed by many to be the green future of British power. The first example is a towering 574 ft (175 m) turbine of mammoth proportions named ‘Britannia’ whose three 500 ft (150 m) diameter 30-ton blades could power 10,000 homes. The Clipper Windpower Marine, team who designed the turbine, clearly believes that bigger is better, and sees no practical size limits in building giant wind turbines. The Britannia alone could provide the same amount of power as two million barrels of oil…
Tags: big, Britannia, Clipper, giant, Green, marine, offshore, power, turbine, UK, wind, Windpower
Climate Change, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, May 27th, 2010,
In this video from Time magazine, marine biologist Rick Steiner goes through the many layers of disaster regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, from the irresponsible behavior of BP before the leak, to the lousy clean-up efforts. According to Steiner, the lasting effects of the oil leak and chemical dispersants used by the clean-up teams will manifest for years to come in terms of poisoning ecosystems. Also, come hurricane season, hurricanes will draw up the oil from deeper waters and bring it onto the coast. Doesn’t make you feel great about the Obama administration’s new energy plan,…
Tags: biologist, clean up, disaster, ecosystems, Gulf, leak, marine, oil, Rick, spill, Steiner, video, wildlife
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, May 16th, 2010,
As the world focuses on the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, here is a look at some of the aquatic life threatened by the spill and other human activities. From whales to squid to sharks to coral, we are offered a rare glimpse into the mating habits of these incredible creatures. The below National Geographic video shows some of the extraordinary variety marine life that exists in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Gulf of Mexico & Caribbean The mix of moonlight, tide, and temperature triggers an extraordinary explosion of life in these waters. When…
Tags: Caribbean, coral, Gulf, marine, Mexico, nurse, sharks, spill, video
Climate Change, Science & Technology, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 21st, 2010,
Oceans absorb half of the world’s carbon dioxide. This may have a mitigating effect on climate change, but it also makes the oceans more acidic, which could endanger the Earth’s marine life. As oceanic ph levels change, it is not known how this might affect marine microorganisms, animals that are crucial to the food chain, oxygen production and cloud formation. Whatever the outcome, it is clear is that the oceans are being altered and that it will have an impact on those who rely on them, human beings for one. –Al Jazeera Check out this video report from the Canadian…
Tags: acidification, arctic, Climate change, life, marine, oceans
Climate Change, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 3rd, 2010,
Actor Ted Danson has been involved in environmental activism since the 1980s when he was star of the hit sitcom Cheers. On April 1st he sat down to talk with CNN about the reasons for his environmentalism as well as current topics including ocean acidification, the need for clean energy, and President Barack Obama’s recent opening up of US coastlines to offshore oil drilling. The environmental issue closest to Danson’s heart is the state of the Earth’s oceans. In addition to the below video interview, the actor has penned an opinion piece for CNN Eco Solutions, which explains his passion…
Tags: actor, CNN, Danson, Eco Solutions, environmental, marine, oceans, Ted
Climate Change, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 27th, 2010,
A survey by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) – a British charity dedicated to making the UK’s beaches and seas sustainable, clean and safe – gives Britain bad marks for coastal litter. The good news is that overall garbage on UK beaches went down 16% in 2009 compared to 2008, though the percentage of trash that was plastic hit an all time high of 64%. From an article in the Guardian: The volunteers who conducted the survey, the UK’s biggest, found one piece for each step along the shore. The results showed litter levels along the coasts have increased dramatically…
Tags: beaches, Britain, British, litter, marine, MCS, Nature, plastic, seas, society, survey, turtles, UK
Climate Change, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 3rd, 2010,
A census on marine life in the Antarctic called The British Antarctic Survey seeks to shed some light on how the wide variety of animals that live on the Antarctic sea floor might react to climate change. According to the survey, which began in 2005, ‘the Polar Regions are amongst the fastest warming places on Earth’. Changes in winter sea ice levels, ocean acidification and rising temperatures are already reducing the population of krill, an important food source for Arctic penguins, seals and whales. Changes also favor an increase in the amount of jellyfish in the area. From a BAS…
Tags: Antarctic, BBC, British, change, climate, ecosystem, glacier, global, iceberg, life, marine, Mertz, ocean, polar, research, scientist, sea, survey, warming
Climate Change, Politics, Feb 28th, 2010,
On Friday the annual meeting of UN climate chiefs took place in Bali, Indonesia. Officials from over 130 countries met with the principal aim of establishing trust between China and developing countries on the one hand; and rich countries – especially the United States – on the other. Despite the call for harmony, Chinese foreign ministry official Guo Zaofeng said developed countries had not lived up to their past commitments to cut greenhouse gases, nor had they provided funds and technology to poor countries grappling with climate change. –Guardian In November Cancún, Mexico will host representatives from 190 countries who…
Tags: Bali, Cancun, change, climate, Indonesia, IPCC, marine, meeting, UN
Climate Change, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Feb 21st, 2010,
The depletion of fish stocks in the world’s oceans and the use of increasingly sophisticated industrial fishing techniques are resulting in heavy damage to precious marine ecosystems. Trawling, once relegated to shallow waters with level sea floors, is now commonly used to fish deeper, including among coral reefs. Deep-sea trawlers use giant, heavy-duty nets that are dragged over the seafloor at depths of more than a kilometre. The nets are fitted with rubber rollers called “rock hoppers”, which destroy the corals that provide habitats for fish and other marine organisms. –Guardian According to a piece in the Guardian, scientific surveys…
Tags: acidification, census, coral, deep sea, ecosystem, fish, Guardian, life, marine, ocean, reefs, sea, threat, Times, trawling
