Week in Review: Plant Growth and Climate Change, Vote Aids Deep Sea Corals in Much of Mid-Atlantic, and More!

1. Plant Growth and Climate Change

This week, a research team from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and University of Montana published a study in PLOS Biology on an additional impact of climate change. The report discusses that climate change could decrease the number of days when plants can grow by 11% by 2100. Declining plant growth will destroy forests, change habitats and food chains, as well as impact the economy of the region. The drastic impact of this change will vary around the world but, tropical regions could lose almost 200 growing days per year.  Read more...

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2. Vote Aids Deep Sea Corals in Much of Mid-Atlantic

On Wednesday, the Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted to protect thousands of miles of the Atlantic Ocean floor. This regulation will help preserve the deep water coral and organisms. Although this was originally opposed by the squid industry, a team of scientist and conservationists were able to define 15 areas to restrict bottom fishing. Read more...

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3. Protecting the Ocean Could Boost Economy by $900 Billion

According to the World Wildlife Fund, expanding the ocean's protected zones could create 180,000 jobs and generate $920 billion by 2050. Creating the marine protected areas will require some investment but, the benefits should be tripled through employment, coastal protection, and fisheries.  Read more...

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4. 100 New Marine Species Discovered in the Philippines

  This week, scientists from the California Academy of Sciences reported the discovery of 100 new species. These marine animals were found during a seven week exploration in the Philippines. A new heart urchin and 40 new varieties of nudibrachs are just a few of the new species. According to Steinhart Aquarium Director Bart Shepherd, "more humans have visited the moon than have dived to the twilight zone". As we continue to advance exploration technology, we will discover more and more!  Read more...

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5. Give Me Five!

This week some unexpected footage was posted online! A diver named Mauricio Hoyos Padilla, the director-general of a marine-conservation group called Pelagios-Kakunjá, posted a video of a diver and a large great white shark coming into direct contact during a dive in Guadalupe. Watch the video of this large great white shark here...

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6. What Does 2 Degrees C Mean to You? 

CNN published a comprehensive list of 15  reasons how sea level rise may impact our globe over the next few decades. This list serves as a nice snapshot of a few of the issues that have been presented in some past Week in Review articles. Living in New York, Miami, or Houston? You'll have a particular interest in this article if you do!  Read more...

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7. Cost to Clean Oiled Santa Barbara Beaches Exceeds $60 Million

Sea Save has tracked this tragic event from the beginning! Over the last few weeks, we have worked to help clean up the aftermath of this massive oil spill as well as documented the impact. According to area officials, the clean up has already cost $60 million and only 76% of the damaged beach has been cleaned. 158 birds and 85 marine mammals, including 6 dead sea lions, have been killed from the oil spill.  Read more...

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8. Polar Bears Caught Eating Dolphins for First Time

Researchers have just recently recorded polar bears eating white-beaked dolphins. After eating, the polar bears froze the leftovers of the dolphins. As seal populations decrease, is it now necessary for polar bears to look for alternate food sources? Read more...

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Sea Save Foundation is committed to raising awareness of marine conservation. The Week in Review is a team effort produced by the Sea Save staff to provide a weekly summary of the latest in marine research, policy, and news.