Thursday, January 31, 2019

Sea Save Foundation "Ocean Week in Review" February 1, 2019: We Gather News; You Stay Informed

"Extreme freezing temperatures, polar vortex and global warming, Another Sea World orca dies, New species discovered, Plankton and plastic share space, Dwindling Starfish and  more ... 


1. Global Warming Contributes to Freezing Temperatures Across The U.S.

Editorial Note: Forbes, CNN, Fortune, and many others concur. Cold temperatures actually support global warming science.

The country is freezing in an unprecedented fashion, and global warming is to blame. Sound crazy? The cold snap that North America is experiencing east of the rocky mountains, with temperatures at Arctic-like levels, is real, but it's only part of the story. Simultaneously, there are record warm temperatures happening in other parts of the world, from Australia to the actual Arctic. While a small but vocal minority of people might use the faulty logic of, "it's cold where I am, therefore global warming isn't real," even schoolchildren know that weather isn't climate. But these extreme cold snaps have gotten more severe in recent years, due to a combination of global warming and a phenomenon you've likely heard of: the polar vortex. 

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2. Striking Photos Reveal Plastic and Plankton Side-By-Side


Converging currents at the surface of the ocean create some of the best places to find life. It is where plankton float and hungry fish follow. It's also there that researchers are finding a new, and now ubiquitous, ocean resident—plastic. “To me, it's a little shocking how much is in relatively small samples,” says photographer and National Geographic Explorer David Liittschwager. Last July, Liittschwager accompanied scientists sampling waters off the coasts of Hawaii, where currents converge to form slicks full of plankton. Using nets, they scooped 400 cubic meters of surface water into simple five-gallon buckets and hauled it back to a lab on Hawaii's Big Island.


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3. Everglades and Red Tide Will be Focus in DeSantis’ Environmental Budget Proposal

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ environmental budget will include a “historic commitment” to water resources and Everglades restoration, including projects with Everglades, water quality and a “historic amount of money” for red tide research, he said Tuesday. At a press conference after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, DeSantis alluded to announcements planned for later in the afternoon in Naples and in Fort Lauderdale. “We meant what we said, and we think this is the time for us to tackle these problems that have been persistent in our state.”

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4. Why Beaked Whales Return To Navy Sonar Range Despite Frequent Disturbance


Using data from underwater robots, scientists have discovered that beaked whales prefer to feed within parts of a Navy sonar test range off Southern California that have dense patches of deep-sea squid. Their findings, published January 29 in the Journal of Applied Ecology, show that beaked whales need these prey hotspots to survive and that similar patches do not exist in nearby “sonar-free” areas. For decades, the U.S. Navy has used high-powered sonar during anti-submarine training and testing exercises in various ocean habitats, including the San Nicolas Basin off Southern California. 

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5. West Coast’s Biggest Starfish Vanishing Amid Disease, Warming Oceans, 

Once a common delight of every beachcomber, sunflower starfish — the large, multi-armed starfish sometimes seen underwater at the nearshore — are imperiled by disease and ocean warming along the West Coast. The devastation occurred over just a few years and even affected starfish in deeper water, according to research co-led by the University of California, Davis, and Cornell University published in the journal Science Advances.


6. Sea World Orlando Orca Whale Kayla Dies After Illness

A 30-year-old orca whale has died after a brief illness at SeaWorld Orlando, the park announced on Monday. Kayla, who was born in captivity in Texas in 1988, was one of 20 whales still housed at the company's parks. SeaWorld said Kayla's condition had deteriorated on Sunday after she showed signs of illness on Saturday. "Although animal care specialists and veterinarians devoted around the clock attention to Kayla, she did not survive," it said. "While today is a difficult day for all of us at SeaWorld, Kayla inspired generations of guests and employees to care and learn more about this amazing species."

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7. New Species Of Shark Found In Fish Market

Another week, another new shark species! While many can believe that scientists find new species in the ocean, swimming around freely… that isn’t always the case. In fact, it is rarely the case. The place where most researchers find new species is in fish markets.The discovery of this shark goes back a little more than a decade now. A never-before-seen shark species was brought to the fishing harbor in Kochi (also known as Cochin), a city in southwest India's coastal Kerala state. The fishermen who brought in this odd-looking species were fishing for sharks of economic importance from the deep-sea in the Indian Ocean. 

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8. Scientists Discover Brand New Species of Creepy Cave-Dwelling Fish That Looks Like A 'Swimming Centipede'

Scientists have unearthed a brand new species of cave-dwelling life. Experts from Texas A&M University, Galveston, participated in a 10-day research trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands, where they discovered the 'swimming centipede'. Lasionectes, as it has been called, is a previously-unknown form of crustacean from the Remipede family and further expands the scope of ocean life. It comes at a time when many saline-rich caves in the Caribbean are in danger of pollution or destruction. 'We collected what we believe is a new remipede species, likely related to those found in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico,' says professor Tom Iliffe, who co-led the investigation. 'Other new species of cave and marine life will likely be found once further examination is complete.' 

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Be sure to "LIKE" http://facebook.com/SeaSave to ensure our "Week in Review" is delivered to your newsfeed every Friday. 

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

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Sea Save Foundation "Ocean Week in Review" January 25, 2019: We Gather News; You Stay Informed

"Davos Economic Talks Showcase Oceans, U.S. Talks Shark Fin Ban ... Again, Sea Cucumber Disappearing Act, Plastic in the Blue Hole, New Shark Species , Greenland Ice Melt and more... 


1. Al Gore, Benioff Discuss the Ocean Economy: Davos Panel

A panel discussion at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on tapping into the ocean economy while protecting it from environmental collapse. The speakers are Salesforce Co-Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff, Generation Investment Management co-founder and former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala, Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg, and actress Michelle Yeoh. Bloomberg's Francine Lacqua moderates.


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2. Lawmakers Propose Banning Shark Fin Trade

A bipartisan group of dozens of House lawmakers introduced legislation on Wednesday that would make it illegal to buy or sell shark fins. The bill, led by Del. Gregorio Sablan (D-Northern Mariana Islands) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), is meant to further crack down on shark finning, in which fishermen remove fins and release the rest of the animal into the ocean to die.


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3. Ocean Drilling Project Seeks Clues to Future Sea Level Rise

Scientists know the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Amundsen Sea could play a pivotal role in future sea level rise, but many questions remain unanswered. An international drilling expedition, led by researchers from the University of Houston and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, will provide important clues through a detailed analysis of the ice sheet's history. The International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 379 will leave Punta Arenas, Chile, for a two-month trip to Antarctica on Jan. 24. It is funded by the National Science Foundation and its international partners.

Read more from "EurekAlert!" 

Editorial Question: How much is all our research drilling contributing to the warming of Antarctica?

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4. The Sea Cucumber, An Apparently Sedentary Creature, Is Anything But

Sea Cucumbers, soft-bodied relatives of sea urchins and starfish, are a sought-after foodstuff. In China alone the market for their flesh is worth $3bn a year. Unfortunately for those who try to make a living catching them, their populations often seem to undergo a cycle of boom and bust. Annie Mercier of the Memorial University of Newfoundland, in Canada, was curious to know why this is. In particular, she wondered whether over-harvesting was to blame, or if the animals were simply migrating away. 


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5. Belize Great Blue Hole: World's Biggest OCean Sinkhole Has Plastic At Bottom 

Editorial Note: Plastic is everywhere; this is not a surprise. However, by highlighting famous locations that are plagued by plastic pollution we can better reach the public and help them realize the extent of the problem.


Richard Branson has found plastic at the bottom of the world’s biggest ocean sinkhole. The billionaire dove into the abyss with Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of French explorer Jacques Cousteau, and National Geographic explorer Erika Bergman at the end of last year. In a blog post about the trip, he has said the discovery of bottles at the bottom of the Great Blue Hole shows the great need to “get rid of single-use plastic,” adding that it has become the “scourge of the ocean.”


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6. New Prehistoric Shark Species Discovered Alongside Sue the T. Rex

Dinosaurs tend to dominate our vision of the past. As large and imposing as they were in life, they loom even larger in our imaginations. But much more than just the "terrible lizards" lived and thrived during the Mesozoic era, and some of the creatures that lived alongside the dinosaurs actually bear a striking resemblance to the animals of today. The tiny teeth, petrified tidbits about the size of a pinhead, look straight out of an 1980s videogame. They took a circuitous route to discovery, which started with the excavation of the nearly complete Tyrannosaurus known as “Sue” back in 1990. 

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7. Singapore MP Urges Ban on Shark’s Fin from Public Service Events

Shark’s fin dishes should be banned from events organized by or for the public service, Singapore Member of Parliament (MP) Louis Ng said. Ng, who is MP for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency, submitted a parliamentary question on the issue earlier this week, asking whether shark’s fin — traditionally considered a delicacy and a staple at Chinese weddings and formal banquets — is still being served at public service events and if it will be on the menu at future events. In a written response, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said that government agencies decide on their respective menus based on what is “prudent and appropriate for the occasion.”

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8. Greenland’s Ice Is Melting Four Times Faster Than Thought—What It Means

A new study warns that Greenland’s ice is melting faster than scientists previously thought. But perhaps the biggest surprise is that most of this ice loss is from the land-fast ice sheet itself, not Greenland’s glaciers. The new study, published January 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the largest sustained ice loss from early 2003 to mid-2013 came from Greenland's southwest region, which is mostly devoid of large glaciers. Greenland, the world’s biggest island, appears to have hit a tipping point around 2002-2003 when the ice loss rapidly accelerated, said lead author Michael Bevis, a geoscientist at Ohio State University.

 Read more from "National Geographic"

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Be sure to "LIKE" http://facebook.com/SeaSave to ensure our "Week in Review" is delivered to your newsfeed every Friday. 

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

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Sea Save Foundation "Ocean Week in Review" January 18, 2019: We Gather News; You Stay Informed

"Advances in Atmospheric Sciences" publishes data showing 2018 hottest record, Antarctica cleaving gigatons of ice, CITES unveil proposals for 2019 conference, DOW moves to fight plastic waste, Florida red tide devastates sea turtle population, and much more... 


1. 2018 was the Ocean's Hottest Year. We'll Feel it a Long Time.

Earth’s oceans are warmer now than at any point since humans started systematically tracking their temperatures, according to research published on January 16 in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. The oceans have sopped up more than 90 percent of the heat trapped by human-emitted greenhouse gases, slowing the warming of the atmosphere—but causing many other unwelcome changes to the planet’s climate. Even a slightly warmer ocean can have dramatic impacts. Other new research shows that warmer oceans make waves stronger. Warmer waters fuel stronger storms, increasing the damage that hurricanes and tropical storms inflict. The added warmth hurts coral habitats and stresses fisheries. 

Read more from "National Geographic" 

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2. CITES unveils listing proposals in preparation for CoP18 in Sri Lanka


CITES CoP meetings occur roughly every three years and changes to trade rules, through amendments to the Convention’s Appendices, can have profound conservation implications for affected species. The listing of a species in Appendix I effectively prevents all commercial international trade, while those listed in Appendix II can be traded under special permit conditions. Here are the proposals CITES unveils to be reviewed at CoP18 in Sri Lanka this year.


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3. Antarctica Is Dumping Hundreds of Gigatons of Ice into the Ocean Right Now


Antarctica is hurling its guts into the ocean. And it's happening six times faster now than it was even four decades ago. The southern, frozen continent lost an average of 252 gigatons of ice a year to the sea between 2009 and 2017. Between 1979 and 1990, it lost an average of just 40 gigatons per year. That means that ice loss on Antarctica has accelerated by 6.3 times in just four decades, according to new research published yesterday (Jan. 14) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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4. Dow Chemical Joins $1 Billion Effort to Cut Plastic Waste in Ocean and Environment


Dow Chemical Co. is forming a global alliance with 30 other companies to focus on reducing plastic waste that ends up in the oceans and the environment. The global nonprofit called the Alliance to End Plastic Waste includes companies like Dow, Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp. along with Proctor & Gamble Co., Chevron Corp. and others. They plan to finance the work with $1 billion and a goal of raising $1.5 billion over the next five years.




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5. Desalination Pours more Toxic Brine into the Ocean than Previously Thought

Technology meant to help solve the world’s growing water shortage is producing a salty environmental dilemma. Desalination facilities, which extract drinkable water from the ocean, discharge around 142 billion liters of extremely salty water called brine back into the environment every day, a study finds. That waste product of the desalination process can kill marine life and detrimentally alter the planet’s oceans, researchers report January 14 in Science of the Total Environment.


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6. Seals Are Stranded in a Canadian Town, and People Wonder What to Do

The intruders arrived during the night with the wind and high tide. By the morning of Jan. 3, it seemed like the little Canadian town had been overrun. Seals, dozens of them. Seals on the beach, seals on streets and driveways, seals in parks and backyards. More than a week later, they are still there in Roddickton-Bide Arm, a remote little town on the island of Newfoundland, the mayor, Sheila Fitzgerald, said on Friday.

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7. New Orca Calf Seen Among Puget Sound's Critically Endangered Killer Whales

A new calf has been born to the critically endangered southern resident killer whales, researchers confirmed. The calf was born to L77, said Ken Balcomb, founding director of the Center for Whale Research. He confirmed the birth in a text to The Seattle Times Friday. He estimated the calf is several weeks old. Center staff first saw the calf Friday morning at the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca."It's great news," Balcomb said, adding the calf looks healthy. It is the first known birth to the southern residents since Tahlequah, or J35, gave birth to a calf in July that lived only a half-hour.

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8. Six Baby Sea Turtles Left in Hotel Trash Bin. Kentucky Couple Fined Only $900.

Last summer, tourists from Kentucky sparked Internet outrage when they admittedly took six baby sea turtles from a Tybee Island beach and placed the threatened animals in a hotel trash can. A housekeeper at the Admiral’s Inn found the loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings in a water-filled bin and then contacted police on July 24, according to a Tybee Island police report. Five months later, Danielle Tosh, 24, and Michael House, 42, have been fined $930 each in connection with the incident, according to Barry Paschal, public affairs officer at the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

 Read more from "Lexington Harold Leader"
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9. Marine mammals and sea turtles recovering after Endangered Species Act protection

More than three-quarters of marine mammal and sea turtle populations have significantly increased after listing of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), according to a study published January 16 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Abel Valdivia of the Center for Biological Diversity in California, and colleagues. The recovered animals were those that were protected for 20 years or more. The findings suggest that conservation measures such as tailored species management and fishery regulations, in addition to other national and international measures, appear to have been largely successful in promoting species recovery, leading to the delisting of some species and to increases in most populations.

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10. Whales Share Songs from Other Oceans

New research suggests that humpback whale populations in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans are picking up musical ideas from one another, and incorporating the new phrases and themes into their songs. According to the study, published November 28, 2018, in the peer-reviewed journal Royal Society Open Science, humpback whale populations in different Southern Hemisphere ocean basins (the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans) sing similar song types, but the amount of similarity differs across years. This suggests that males from these two populations come into contact at some point in the year to hear and learn songs from each other.

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11. Jellyfish Map Could Be the Future to Protecting UK Waters and Fish

Researchers have developed a map of chemicals found in jellyfish caught across 1 million square kilometers of UK waters. The same chemicals are found in other marine animals such as birds and fish. These findings can support conservation efforts by helping track an animals movements and also be used as a tool to detect food fraud by identifying where seafood products were sourced from.
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12. Key West Takes First Step in Banning Some Sunscreens that Experts say Damage Coral Reefs

The Key West City Commission on Tuesday unanimously voted to ban the sale of sunscreens that contain two ingredients — oxybenzone and octinoxate — that a growing body of scientific evidence says harm coral reefs.“This ordinance is just one other thing we can do to help improve and protect our water quality,” said Mill McCleary, of the nonprofit environmental protection group Reef Relief. The measure, which passed 7-0, isn’t law yet, though. The commission must review it a second time and pass the measure again before it would become law. The second vote is scheduled for Feb. 5

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13. Red Tide in Florida Killing Record Number of Sea Turtles

A Florida red tide outbreak close to 16 months old has killed more sea turtles than any previous single red tide event on record, and manatee deaths are not far behind. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission attributed 589 sea turtles and 213 manatee deaths to this episode of red tide, which began in late 2017. It had killed 127 bottlenose dolphins as of Dec. 20, leading the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to declare an unusual mortality event.

Read more "The Columbus Dispatch"
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14. Deep Blue, The Massive, 20ft-Long Great White Shark Thought To Be Biggest On Record, Spotted Off Hawaii Coast

A great white shark, believed to be one of the biggest on record, has been spotted off the coast of Hawaii. Divers found the huge creature, named Deep Blue, as she fed on a dead sperm whale, around nine miles from the coast off the Hawaiian island of Oahu, KHON2 reported. Dr. Melanie Hutchinson, a shark expert at the University of Hawaii, told KHON2 the animal is thought to measure between 15 to 21 feet in length.

                                 


Be sure to "LIKE" http://facebook.com/SeaSave to ensure our "Week in Review" is delivered to your newsfeed every Friday. 

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