Increasing acidity in the Southern Ocean is slowing the growth of diatoms, reports Tim Radford. Why worry? Because these tiny plankton sustain essential marine ecosystems, and are highly effective at drawing CO2 down into the deep ocean.
… Keystone plankton 'go slow' as ocean acidity rises Tim Radford | 1st March 2015 News Oceans Ecology Climate Change diatoms-cut.jpg … Increasing acidity in the Southern Ocean is slowing the growth of diatoms, …
Increased atmospheric CO2 is doing much more than warming the Earth, writes Tony Juniper - it's also acidifying oceans, something that is already having major impacts on ocean ecology in the Southern Ocean and the North Atlantic. Likely effects: more CO2 in the atmosphere, more jellyfish.
… on global warming's evil twin - acidifying oceans Tony Juniper | 3rd December 2015 News Oceans Climate Change Ecology Science … writes Tony Juniper - it's also acidifying oceans, something that is already having major …
Rising levels of carbon dioxide don't just cause global warming, writes Jason Hall-Spencer. Another consequence is acidifying oceans - which promises to disrupt marine ecology around the world, killing off oysters and corals, while boosting 'nuisance species' like stinging jellyfish.
… of the stinging jellyfish: the winners of ocean acidification Jason Hall-Spencer … University | 16th December 2015 Comment Oceans Climate Change COP21 Ecology Fishing … Another consequence is acidifying oceans - which promises to disrupt marine …
In 2003 nations pledged to place 20-30% of the world's oceans into no-take marine parks, writes Jessica Meeuwig - but more than ten years on, such areas now cover just 1% of ocean area. Now the World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia, provides an opportunity to drive marine protection forward, and benefit both ecology and economy.
… Now is our chance to deliver on the 30% ocean protection target Jessica Meeuwig | 15th November 2014 Comment Oceans Fishing Ecology Economics ocean-sharks-cut.jpg In 2003 nations pledged …
A common marine worm key to the richness of many coastal ecosystems is being damaged by the increasing ocean acidification that was thought to imperil mainly shellfish and coral, writes Alex Kirby. It's an unwelcome sign of more unexpected ecological changes to come.
… Lugworms suffer toxic impact of acidifying oceans Alex Kirby | 30th October 2014 News Oceans Climate Change Pollution Toxics Ecology … ecosystems is being damaged by the increasing ocean acidification that was thought to …
Indonesian activists are building a global movement to resist the financialisation and privatisation of the world’s oceans.
… Reclaiming control of Indonesia’s oceans Salena Tramel | 1st February 2019 News … and privatisation of the world’s oceans. Indonesia, the largest archipelago in … With more than 17,500 islands straddling two oceans, the sea is not only a way of life, but …
For long periods animals in ancient oceans could live only in shallow surface waters, above vast 'dead zones' inhabited only by anoxic bacteria, writes Richard Pancost. Human activity is now creating immense new dead zones, and global warming could be helping as it reduces vertical mixing of waters. Could this be the beginning of something big?
… of Bristol | 29th January 2016 Comment Oceans Ecology Geology Pollution … For long periods animals in ancient oceans could live only in shallow surface … of diverse, multicellular life. However the oceans have not remained unchanged since that …
By keeping marine herbivores in check, predators from sharks to crabs are essential to keep the oceanic 'carbon pump' working - with seaweed and plankton fixing atmospheric carbon and bearing it down to deep waters and sediments before getting munched. It's time to give ocean predators the protection they deserve, for climate's sake.
… Predators keep the oceans' carbon pump ticking Peter Macreadie … Trisha B Atwood | 29th September 2015 Comment Oceans Climate Change Science Ecology … sharks to crabs are essential to keep the oceanic 'carbon pump' working - with seaweed …
Plastic is ubiquitous around the world's oceans, writes Lesley Henderson, but although it's visible from space, it can be surprisingly elusive in the water - as she heard from Jo Ruxton, producer of the investigative documentary 'A Plastic Ocean'. Solutions to this growing hazard have also proved elusive to date, hence the film's strong focus on action: educational, cultural and legal.
… Plastic Ocean - why the world should declare plastic … University London | 8th June 2016 Comment Oceans Waste Pollution Ecology Health Culture … Plastic is ubiquitous around the world's oceans, writes Lesley Henderson, but although …
The eXXpedition Round the World voyage will sail through some of the most important and diverse marine environments on the planet.
… All-woman crew probes ocean plastic pollution Rod Minchin | 26th September 2019 News Plastic Pollution Ocean Pollution EXXpedition Change Makers … to investigate the causes of and solutions to ocean plastic pollution. The eXXpedition Round …
Does the Canadian Government actually want to wipe out its wild salmon? To ordinary, sane people, the idea is completely mad, writes Jeff Matthews. But for resource extraction industries, salmon farmers and right wing neoliberal politicians, it could make perfect sense.
… salmon? Jeff Matthews | 8th June 2015 Comment Oceans Canada Fish Ecology Politics … Wild salmon - the keystone species of an ocean-to-mountain ecosystem Consider then, … habitat extends all the way from the open ocean, tracing our coastlines and estuaries, …
Scientific studies show that as carbon dioxide acidifies the oceans, sharks are less able to detect prey, and their chances of survival are reduced, writes Tim Radford - with serious consequences for ocean ecology.
… survival Tim Radford | 12th October 2014 News Oceans Ecology Climate Change … show that as carbon dioxide acidifies the oceans, sharks are less able to detect prey, … Tim Radford - with serious consequences for ocean ecology. Human emissions of carbon …
Sky Ocean Rescue, WWF and Swansea University launch biggest UK seagrass restoration project ever undertaken.
… 2019 News Science & Systems Seagrass Sky Ocean Rescue WWF Swansea University Change Makers 21921935-1.jpg Sky Ocean Rescue, WWF and Swansea University … change, conservationists have said. Sky Ocean Rescue, conservation organisation WWF …
The Arctic is a special place, teeming with life, but it is under threat like never before, writes Robert Spicer - not just from climate change, but from oil drilling, industrial fishing and shipping, as receding ice creates now commercial opportunities. We must designate an Arctic Sanctuary where nature can reign undisturbed.
… Spicer | 17th November 2014 Comment Arctoc Oceans Ecology Climate Change Transport … a reminder of the uniqueness of the Arctic Ocean. I was struck by the vastness of the … it would take centuries to make the Arctic Ocean ice-free in summer. It now looks like …
The world is speaking up about the dark realities of the meat and dairy industries - why are fish being ignored?
… Simon Hilbourne from the Manta Trust and Oceans Festival UK are launching a new … challenging the public to protect our oceans by removing seafood from their diet for … to reduce our collective impact on the oceans and the life that they hold, in a …
The world must drastically reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, writes Simon Redfern - and we can't do it by cutting emissions alone. But we could we do it 'nature's way', using volcanic rocks and mining wastes that naturally soak up CO2 from the atmosphere and ocean, and turn it into harmless forms like limestone and dissolved bicarbonate.
… naturally soak up CO2 from the atmosphere and ocean, and turn it into harmless forms like … in regulating carbon in the atmosphere and oceans by removing CO 2 from the atmosphere … is the natural river water that flows to the oceans, which hold more than 60 times more …
Is the species that dwells peacefully within its habitat with respect for the rights of other species the one that is inferior? Or is it the species that wages a holy war against its habitat, destroying all species that irritate it? Paul Watson questions man's monopoly on advanced brain power, and finds a planet suffused with a far deeper intelligence than our own.
… Paul Watson | 22nd August 2014 Comment Oceans Ecology whale-shark-diver-cut.jpg Is … with a non-human intelligence. Probing the oceans instead of deep space, they are … to a profound intelligence dwelling in the oceans. An ancient intelligence in the ocean …
Seagrass provides a key marine habitat, writes Richard Unsworth - it stablises the sea floor, sustains rich ecosystems, soaks up excess nutrients, sequesters carbon dioxide, feeds dugongs, and nurtures young cod. Hadn't we better stop wiping out some 1,500 sq.km of seagrass meadows every year?
… K. F. Unsworth | 4th November 2014 Comment Oceans Fish Ecology Food … most important coastal habitats where young ocean-going fish such as Atlantic cod can grow … Providing shallow-water habitats where young ocean-going fish can grow and develop is one …
As the Arctic warms and its ice melts, growing numbers freight ships are reaping big savings from the 'Arctic short cut'. But this is creating a huge risk of invasive species spreading in ballast water and on hulls - disrupting both Arctic and temperate ecosystems.
… Geiling Smithsonian | 27th June 2014 News Oceans Transport Natural World Ecology … route that connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans above Canada. It arrived off the coast … recently, ships that wanted to travel between oceans had two primary paths-the Suez Canal …
Greenpeace International said activists from the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark had boarded Shell's Brent Alpha and Bravo platforms.
… "Shell, clean up your mess!" and "Stop Ocean Pollution", the environmental group … loss and species extinction, we need healthy oceans more than ever. "Abandoning thousands … and platforms in the North East Atlantic ocean was agreed in 1998 Shell has requested …
For just 8% of the fish landed, extraordinary, beautiful, ancient, diverse deep sea habitats are routinely destroyed by fishing gear. And as J. Murray Roberts writes, it's all for a one-off hit as the fish are so slow to grow and reproduce. If the same damage happened on land, there would be uproar.
… J. Murray Roberts | 1st May 2014 Comment Oceans Fishing UK EU Ecology … know why I don't care about the bottom of the ocean, but I don't." It's often argued that we … the moon than we do about the bottom of the ocean, and the New York society ladies …
Beneath half a mile of ice scientists have uncovered the first hard evidence of a life in a subglacial lake, writes Helen Thompson. And not just life, but a complex ecosystem comprising thousands of microbial species. Could Jupiter's frozen moon Europa be hiding lakes like this?
… contribute to the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean. Further investigation might reveal the … about the implications for extraterrestrial oceans. "The fact that the concentration and … Whillans isn't an identical twin to the icy oceans thought to exist under the Jupiter …
Call to ‘act local’ to stop plastics entering the UK’s rivers and canals & ending up in the world’s oceans.
… rivers and canals & ending up in the world’s oceans. Canal & River Trust has published … 570,000 items of plastic reach the world’s oceans each year via its waterways. With the … the plastics and litter found in our oceans comes from inland waste that passes …
Marine conservation is usually expressed in austere and negative terms, writes Alasdair Harris, with strict quotas and exclusion zones. But the truth is the exact opposite: it's about working with natural ecosystems to unlock their productive potential, creating sustainable wealth and abundance for fishing communities while enhancing marine biodiversity.
… everyone's interest and that taking less from ocean can give us much, much more. We work in places where the ocean is vital to local cultures and economies … flawed conservation models consisting of 'ocean grabbing' (as previously discussed in …