Greenpeace and the Inuit have joined forces to protest Arctic seismic testing, warning that plans to gauge oil and gas reserves with high-intensity sound waves in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait pose grave dangers to marine life. Inuit activists are staging a protest Wednesday in Nunavut's Clyde River, a tiny Baffin Island hamlet just above the Arctic Circle, a week after … [Read more...]
Climate change brings giant waves to the Arctic
Huge waves rolling across Arctic Ocean regions that up until recent times have been permanently locked solid with a sea ice cover is seen as more evidence of a warming Earth, researchers say. That sea ice is beginning to experience an onslaught of 16-foot swells that have the potential to break up the sea ice more rapidly than the melting it has experienced over several … [Read more...]
Altered marine food webs threaten food security
A new scientific analysis shows that urgent action is needed to reverse the tide of ecological decline in the ocean that threatens economies, societies and nature, says the Global Ocean Commission. The analysis, by leading marine scientists with the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) and International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), looks … [Read more...]
204 512 people from 160 countries help save Great Barrier Reef
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Doha, Qatar, on 18 June 2014 was a huge win for the future of the Great Barrier Reef and the millions who united around the world in its passionate support. In the face of intense pressure, the World Heritage Committee held the line and put the Australian Government firmly on notice to take stronger action to protect the Great … [Read more...]
Giant underground “ocean” discovered beneath us
A new study by American researchers concluded that in the mantle layer that lies between the crust and the core, there are vast reserves of water, probably three times the total volume of water of all oceans on the surface of our planet. This “reservoir” of water, which seems to be stable over time, lies at a depth of up to 700 kilometers beneath the planet’s surface, in the … [Read more...]
Ocean array could clean Pacific garbage patch
Last year we reported on teenage inventor Boyan Slat’s plans to create an Ocean Cleanup Array that could remove 7,250,000 tons of plastic waste from the world’s oceans. His proposal for an anchored network of floating booms and processing platforms received a lot of criticism – but now, just over a year later, Boyan is back with the results of a year-long investigation that … [Read more...]
I love turtles – book and puppet show
“Hello Hatchling my name is Bella. You must be careful – there is a lot of marine debris in the ocean that looks like food, but isn’t. Marine debris is litter. Litter items such as plastic bags, bottles, balloons and straws are dumped by humans and end up in the oceans.” This was a quote from the new puppet story book I Love Turtles written and illustrated by Marguerite … [Read more...]
Spread the word about ocean conservation
Join millions of people around the world as we celebrate World Oceans Day on 8th June! On World Oceans Day people around our blue planet honor the ocean, which links us all. The Ocean Project and World Ocean Network have been helping to promote and coordinate this event since 2002, with greater success and global participation each year. Be a part of this growing … [Read more...]
Join SA’s first marine eradication program - European shore crab
Do you want to be part of the first marine eradication programme in South Africa? Carcinus meanas, commonly known as the European shore crab, is an alien crab that has large populations in Table and Hout Bay harbours in Cape Town. Marine biologists at Stellenbosch University are undertaking a trial eradication in Hout Bay and are looking to employ a dynamic eradication … [Read more...]
Recognizing World Fish Migration Day in the Amazon’s waters
The Amazon basin—with its vast rainforests and river systems—is the most bio-diverse place on earth and, not surprisingly, a region rich in discovery. Newly described plant and animal species are a frequent occurrence. The recent video documentation of a newly discovered fish migration is a much rarer event and particularly noteworthy this weekend as we celebrate World Fish … [Read more...]
Your photo can inspire others
Despite the huge challenges facing the world’s ocean, by working together we can achieve a healthy ocean that provides for the billions of humans, plants and animals which depend on it every day. This year you can share the beauty and importance of the ocean, through your photographs! This inaugural World Oceans Day Photo Contest allows people from around the world to … [Read more...]
First 5 International Hope Spots coming to SA
Dr Sylvia Earle will lead a Mission Blue Expedition to South Africa to launch the country's first five Hope Spots in December 2014. Sustainable Seas Trust and BirdLife South Africa are organizing the tour, in concert with a number of supporting organizations with a view to igniting public support for marine conservation. Dr Sylvia Earle, the architect of the Hope Spot … [Read more...]
BP avoids responsibility for mess of Deepwater Horizon gulf oil spill
What has happened to the clean-up operations after the Deepwater Horizon gulf oil spill? Tom Young from The Legal Examiner reports on the scale of pollution still remaining since the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe four years ago: Here is a summary of the 11 April beach oiling report issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). While the media and … [Read more...]
