In Praise of Icebergs

Hurricanes and Rising Tides – Can Living Shorelines Protect Us?

Bulkheads and other ‘armored,’ or hardened, shorelines are cheap, easy to install, and effectively prevent erosion and protect private property…. Or do they?

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OC Overview for the Week of April 29 2019

Sponges and corals: Seafloor assessments to help protect against climate change

https://horizon.scienceblog.com/791/sponges-and-corals-seafloor-assessme...

Judge fines pipeline company $3.3 million for 2015 Santa Barbara oil spill

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/04/28/18823010.php

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5 Ocean Creatures with Sweet Dance Moves

Dancing can be a form of expressing many different things. All around the world, the use of dance can be found throughout every culture—from the Samba of Brazil, the Dragon Dance of China, the Viennese Waltz of Austria to Russian Ballet, New Zealand’s Haka, Middle Eastern Belly Dancing and Cambodian Folk Dance (to name just a few). Regardless of where you are in the world, this creative art form is everywhere, even in—you guessed it—the ocean.

While there are many debates over whether the dance-like mating rituals and predation tactics among animals can actually be classified as a form of dance or not, we’re going to ignore that for now and just enjoy these graceful dances of the sea.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll even pick up a few of these suave moves.

Albatross Courtship Dance

 

Humpback Waltz

 

Seahorse Morning Dance

 

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Spanish Dancer Free Swim

 

Sea Angel Mating Dance

The post 5 Ocean Creatures with Sweet Dance Moves appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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San Juan Seamount: An Ancient Archipelago

Noise Pollution Changes How Ocean Animals Grow

Humans create a lot of noises that seep into natural environments, polluting the natural soundscape. Noise pollution can be harmful for marine life by interrupting migration routes and disrupting normal communication. Now, a new study finds that the man-made noise pollution can even change the way fishes grow!

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What is a Kelp Forest?

Community of Ocean Action on Ocean Acidification (COA on OA) videos online

The Community of Ocean Action on Ocean Acidification, led by David Osborn, IAEA Environment Laboratories and Bronte Tilbrook, CSIRO, Australia, and co-chair of GOA-ON, aims to support its members in implementing their ocean acidification-related Voluntary Commitments (VC) by exchanging progress reports, experiences, lessons learned and good practices. There are presently 258 Voluntary Commitments submitted for […]

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Facing the music: calls of one of the worlds most endangered dolphins

River dolphins are some of the most endangered dolphin species in the world. Sadly, they are also poorly studied or understood. For the first time ever scientists were able to capture hundreds of different calls, showing that these animals have a vast language unique from other species.

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11 Penguin Photos to Instantly Brighten Your Day

Volcanoes of the Caribbean: Science Swashbuckling with a Laser Spectrometer

The deep sea is a hostile environment – think corrosive seawater and bone-crushing pressures – not to mention underwater volcanoes spewing hot, gassy fluids. Read how scientists explored the most active underwater volcano in the Caribbean Sea using lasers!

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Webinar Recording Available: Harnessing Biological Partnerships to Improve Coastal Restoration

On Tuesday, February 5, 2019, Dr. Brian Silliman gave a presentation on the role of positive interactions between species in boosting ecosystem resilience and recovery. Dr. Silliman then discussed his Lenfest project where he is collaborating with restoration managers and other scientists to integrate this knowledge into coastal restoration design. Dr. Silliman and his team expect that by accounting for positive interactions between species, we could as much as double coastal restoration yields at no additional cost.

 

Click here to read the full article from its source (note: external link)

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VaquitaCPR: Trying to save the world’s most endangered marine mammal

What do you do when a species has only 30 individuals left? VaquitaCPR was a project aimed at bringing some of the few vaquita porpoises left into captivity for protection. The project was cut short after one of the porpoises died, begging the question, was it worth it?

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Ocean to Everglades (O2E) Initiative Brings Environmental Focus to the Big Game

Caffeinated Seas: Unique Tracers for Wastewater-borne Contaminants

In the Long Island Sound estuary, researchers are using your coffee byproducts (caffeine, sucralose) to study pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater treatment facilities.

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OC Overview for the Week of April 22 2019

West Coast Crabbers Grapple With Climate Change

https://www.kqed.org/news/11741898/west-coast-crabbers-grapple-with-clim...

To solve climate change and biodiversity loss, we need a Global Deal for Nature

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/22/18511164/climate-chang...

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Plastic Pollution is Chemical Pollution

Voyage to Iceberg Alley: Guest post by Marlo Garnsworthy

At the end of March, right around sunrise, oceanbites contributor Marlo Garnsworthy sailed out of the Straits of Magellan and into the southern Atlantic Ocean, bound for the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic waters known as Iceberg Alley. Giant petrels soared against a clear blue sky, and gentle waves rocked the ship—although the crew didn’t […]

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How much fish does it take to keep a salmon shark warm?

With a body reminiscent of its larger cousin the great white, the salmon shark chases its namesake in the cold waters of the northern Pacific – but how does it keep warm in these frigid temperatures? This week we’ll look at how much fish it takes to keep a salmon shark going.

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For Coral Reef Restoration to Work, Remote Sensing Technology is Key

Original Article: “Scaling Up Coral Reef Restoration Using Remote Sensing Technology.” Shawna A. Foo, Gregory P. Asner. Front. Mar. Sci., 13 March 2019 | http://bit.ly/2UMJys8 When I recently planted nursery-raised staghorn corals onto a Caribbean reef, I couldn’t quite imagine that the elegant, branching corals had covered the reef just four decades ago. Like many […]

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Microplastics are Blowing in the Wind—and Here’s Why That Matters

If you follow ocean plastic news you may have noticed a flurry of articles about a recent study showing that windborne microplastics have reached remote Pyrenees peaks. The headlines ranged from straightforward (like USA Today’s Blown by the wind, ‘microplastic’ pollution discovered in pristine mountain peaks) to daunting (like Fast Company’s Microplastics are being blown all over the world, and it’s terrifying), and it’s tempting to wonder: is this actually a big deal?

It’s a fair question. After all, we already know that microplastics and plastics more generally have been found in every corner of the ocean—from the Mariana Trench to Arctic ice. More than 800 marine species are demonstrably affected by plastic, from tiny plankton to majestic whales. How is this different?

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Dr. Chelsea Rochman, Ocean Conservancy Science Fellow and Assistant Professor in the University of Toronto’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, put it in perspective this way:

The study reiterates the fact that our use of plastic materials and the way we dispose of them has led to global contamination, even of areas that we tend to think of as pristine.

But more importantly, the study further demonstrates that microplastics are not just an ocean pollutant. They have become ubiquitous, comparable to other persistent contaminants like PCBs and DDT. They are found cycling in the atmosphere, circulating with ocean currents, buried in soils and in freshwater streams and lakes.

If we’re going to stop ocean plastic pollution, we need to understand where plastic comes from and how it moves. At Ocean Conservancy, we are closely following the growing body of science on this to figure out which strategies will be most effective in keeping the most plastic out of the ocean.

In the meantime, one thing is clear, according to Dr. Rochman: “The human plastic footprint has become global. Plastic pollution may just be the marker of the Anthropocene.”

The post Microplastics are Blowing in the Wind—and Here’s Why That Matters appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Marine Research Center on Gili Air Wins The International SeaKeepers Society Award

Last weekend, The International Seakeepers Society – Asia hosted their annual Award Dinner in Singapore. A very special evening where over 220 people with a mix of nationalities made up of diplomatic corps members, leaders from commercial companies, scientists, and individuals came together in the name of conservation.

Seakeepers’ branch in Asia has a unique focus on educating for awareness of the current situation of the oceans. By operating on a local level, they are spreading a sense of appreciation and commitment to protect, conserve and restore when possible.

Part of the dinner is the presentation of The International SeaKeepers Society Asia Achievement Award. This award seeks to recognize an organization in Asia, that demonstrates a responsibility towards the health of Asia’s marine environment because of who they are and what they do to take a lead role. In the past, this special award was won by Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Nature Society Singapore (Marine Conservation Group) and YTL Hotels & Resorts. This year the award was presented to The Gili Shark Conservation Project – a grassroots conservation project on the Gili Islands in Indonesia.

“The award was given to the Gili Shark Conservation Project in recognition of their exemplary work and direct role in conservation management. We commend the vision and teams passion to improve the protection of sharks found around the Gili Islands, and to create a legacy of conservation around the islands. The unique program of the Gili Shark Conservation Project allows people from all over the world to experience and learn about sharks first hand while making a real difference with their data collection efforts. The dedication and integration into the local community is evident in the initiative Plastic Free Paradise. “

Furthermore, The International SeaKeepers Society announced that they will provide the funding for the first 30 hex dome structures of the new coral restoration project of the Gili Shark Conservation Project. Coral restoration efforts are becoming increasingly important, as more knowledge is constantly revealed about the coral reefs and the increasing threat of coral bleaching brought along by global warming.

“Through research we have been able to estimate that over 50% of the corals around the Gili Islands have been lost. The Gili Islands is an important location for a coral restoration project because of its touristic attraction. We don’t only have the chance to recover some of the pristine coral reef, but also to spread awareness about the importance of coral reefs and be role models in the field.” Andre Saputra, Lead Scientist at Gili Shark Conservation

This new collaboration between the International SeaKeepers Society Award and the Gili Shark Conservation Project is the perfect proof that when people from different backgrounds but with the same dream come together; change is possible. As Steve Jobs once said: “The once who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Join the Gili Shark Conservation Project

Volunteer with the Gili Shark and Marine Conservation Project and spend your days diving, taking part in marine research and contributing to the important work they do in the protection and conservation of sharks and rays.

from WiseOceans blog – WiseOceans http://bit.ly/2PlRtqn http://bit.ly/2vbjY0P

Gumdrop and Pioneer Seamounts – Offshore Seabird Havens

How to Help Sea Turtles This Earth Day

Southern Ocean diatoms: small, yet mighty!

Tiny organisms called phytoplankton fuel the marine food web. How have they adapted to live in the Southern Ocean where ice cover limits light exposure, water temperatures are frigid, and iron, an important resource for cellular function, is extremely limited? Read on to learn more about these small, but mighty organisms.

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Webinar Wednesday April 23 - Crafting Guidance for Adapting Shifting Fish Populations

April 23^rd at 2pm EST – Crafting Guidance for Adapting Shifting Fish Populations

Register: bit.ly/PershingWebinar

Click here to read the full article from its source (note: external link)

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NOAA Drops a Lifeline to Rare Gulf of Mexico Whale

Global Ocean Refuge Partner Spotlight: Linking Tourism & Conservation

When will global warming change the color of the ocean?

Climate change is predicted to transform the ocean – Dr. Stephanie Dutkiewicz and her colleagues want to know how and when global warming will change its color.

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A Wave of Ocean-Inspired Haiku

In honor of the upcoming National Haiku Poetry Day, I asked some of my most creative colleagues here at Ocean Conservancy to prepare a haiku poem inspired by our daily work to help protect our ocean from its greatest challenges. Which one is your favorite? Share with us your own special haiku for our ocean on Twitter!

---

moonlit migration

giants swimming to shelter

warmer waters soon

–Emily Brauner

---

Spring ice, fish, bear, bird

The circuit of Arctic life

Energy transformed

–Patricia Chambers

---

Oil slicked the waters

Nine years ago in the Gulf

Today, we restore.

-Trishna Gurung

---

 Alaska tide pool

Cold water spills over boot

A footstep too deep

–Andrew Hartsig

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Iceberg drips in sun

Seal den blue beneath the snow

Changing Arctic spring

–Henry Huntington

---

Busy crowded coast

Boats and windfarms aplenty

Needs ocean planning

–Rafeed Hussain

---

Amid bubble streams

Yellow-striped fish float gently,

Aloof, then swim off

–Jordana Merran

---

Sunny vacation

yet another plastic straw

better choices now

–Megan Montemurno

---

Ocean, you give us

everything—essential to

our mere existence.

–Ki’Amber Thompson

---

Rising seas encroach

Ocean warming threatens fish

Cut emissions now

–Anna Zivian

The post A Wave of Ocean-Inspired Haiku appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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OC Overview for the Week of April 15 2019

Pace of Bering Sea changes startles scientists

https://www.apnews.com/0c9a94b339974e9ca9d860fa180d45ea

Researchers Worry Right Whales Could Be Harmed During Seismic Testing

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/15/713387959/researchers-worry-right-whales-...

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Remembering the 9th Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster

Snakes On A Boat! How Do Sea Snakes Stay Hydrated During Long Ocean Trips?

Lillywhite HB, Sheehy CM, III, Sandfoss MR, Crowe-Riddell J, Grech A (2019) Drinking by sea snakes from oceanic freshwater lenses at first rainfall ending seasonal drought. PLoS ONE 14(2): e0212099. http://bit.ly/2rr4y8X. pone.0212099 Sea snakes are awesome animals. Evolved from terrestrial ancestors, modern sea snakes have developed a number of adaptations to survive in the harsh […]

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Goodbye sound, hello vision: less $$$ methods to help Unmanned Underwater Robots stay on track.

Goodbye sound, hello vision. Robots become better navigators thanks to a group of scientists in Mexico who applied an alternative way to help unmanned robots regain their position and orientation when they get forced off task.

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Birds of a Feather: Social Dynamics of Juvenile Lemon Sharks

Like human’s, juvenile lemon sharks form social groups, but how do they choose who they hang out with? Find out of if the saying “bird’s of a feather flock together” applies to these sharks as well.

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Vote for Clean Swell to Win the Webby Award

Seafood Magic: Including Fishermen in Fishery Management Policy

Seafood don’t just appear in restaurants, markets, or our bellies by magic. There are hard-working, dedicated fishermen* behind the must-have foodie experiences of delectable seafood. So where are fishermen in fisheries management policy?

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The Petite Anse Reef Restoration Project – Annual Report 2018

Our Petite Anse Reef Restoration Project 2018 Annual Report has been published. The Project is a collaboration between WiseOceans Seychelles and Four Seasons Resort Seychelles, with the support of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change and is an innovative approach to coral reef restoration, born of a desire to return the house reef of Four Seasons Resort Seychelles to the thriving coral reef ecosystem that it once was.

   

The Project launched in March 2015, at this time the coral reefs of Seychelles were still recovering from a severe bleaching event that happened in 1997-8, and at its outset, the Project aimed to transplant 16,000 fragments of coral to restore a 10,000 square metre area of reef. The project uses the coral gardening method, predominantly utilising broken fragments of coral found on the reef, growing these coral fragments using in-water (in-situ) coral nurseries for 6-9 months before transplanting these healthy corals back onto bare patches of reef.

Find out more in our 2018 Annual Report.

 

from WiseOceans blog – WiseOceans http://bit.ly/2UdfZuH http://bit.ly/2Z6JDWf

10 Photos of Sea Slugs That Will Blow Your Ocean-Lovin’ Mind

Four ocean acidification bills take big bipartisan step toward becoming law

Today, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Environment Subcommittee will hold a markup of four bills addressing the impacts of ocean acidification. A markup is an opportunity for all members of a congressional committee to review legislation and “mark” it up with their own thoughts and changes. Here at Ocean Conservancy, we are […]

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One thousand ways to experience loss: a climate study

The experience of personal loss due to climate change is becoming ubiquitous. This study outlines how we can approach climate loss in the social sciences.

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Gulf For-Hire Fishermen Celebrate Permanent Red Snapper Benefits

Cortes and Tanner Banks: Recreation and Biodiversity Hotspots

Four Ocean Acidification Bills Take Big Bipartisan Step Toward Becoming Law

Today, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Environment Subcommittee will hold a markup of four bills addressing the impacts of ocean acidification. A markup is an opportunity for all members of a congressional committee to review legislation and “mark” it up with their own thoughts and changes. Here at Ocean Conservancy, we are excited to see these bills take this important step. This legislation has enjoyed broad bipartisan support, and today’s markup will show how leaders on both sides of the aisle recognize the importance of preparing their communities for the impacts of ocean acidification.

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For the past seven years, Ocean Conservancy has worked on ocean acidification, building stakeholder support among affected communities and bringing their voices to the national conversation to elevate ocean acidification as a bipartisan issue. We’ve already seen how ocean acidification can devastate the ocean resources on which coastal communities depend. Millions of jobs, livelihoods, cultures and ways of life, from the Pacific Northwest’s shellfish industry to Florida’s coral reef tourism, depend on this work.

Here’s a preview of the legislation in today’s markup:

H.R. 1237, the “COAST Research Act of 2019”

Following the widespread death of larval shellfish that nearly bankrupted hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-2000s because of ocean acidification, Congress took action to better understand the impact of ocean acidification on people and marine resources by passing the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act. This federal law created the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program and provides for a coordinated response by federal agencies to understand, track, and address ocean acidification. The Coast Research Act reauthorizes this federal law and broadens the scope of work on ocean acidification to better understand the effects of acidification not only in the open ocean but also in the coastal zone.

H.R. 1716, the “Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2019”

Coastal communities are on the frontlines of experiencing the effects of ocean acidification, and many are already seeing the impacts. As a result, it is important that federal research and monitoring respond to the needs of these communities. This bill codifies that the federal government should assess the needs of coastal community vulnerable to ocean acidification and ensure that federal research and monitoring plans are influenced by those needs assessments.

H.R. 1921, the “Ocean Acidification Innovation Act of 2019”

Innovation is an important component in tackling many environmental problems. The Ocean Acidification Innovation Act of 2019 would allow several federal agencies to establish competitions to award prizes for innovations that would advance our nation’s ability to understand, research, monitor or adapt to ocean acidification.

H.R. 988, the “NEAR Act of 2019”

Healthy estuaries are a critical economic and recreational driver in coastal communities across the country. However, because acidification often interacts with other coastal processes, like runoff, erosion and upwelled water from the ocean, it is difficult to measure its individual impact in estuarine environments. The NEAR Act of 2019 would authorize the National Academies of Science to examine the impact of ocean acidification and other stressors on American estuaries and nearshore waters.

The post Four Ocean Acidification Bills Take Big Bipartisan Step Toward Becoming Law appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Gorda and Mendocino Ridges – California’s Test Cases for Deep-Sea Mining

OC Overview for the Week of April 8 2019

Campaign to save oceans maps out global network of sanctuaries

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/04/08/news/campaign-save-oceans-ma...

Peter Dykstra: The potential of ocean protection

https://www.ehn.org/peter-dykstra-victories-for-the-ages-2633789644.html

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Manganese nodules: desired mineral resource and important habitat

The JPI Ocean project MiningImpact investigates deep-sea ecosystems in the central Pacific OceanThe German research vessel RV SONNE has just left port in Manzanillo, Mexico, for the second leg of a 14-week long research cruise to the Clarion-Clipperton fracture Zone (CCZ) in the Northeast Pacific. The expedition is being carried out as part of the European JPI Oceans project "MiningImpact" (30 partner from nine European countries). This SO268 expedition is led by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The aim is to establish a baseline of environmental standards before potential future mining of manganese nodules in the deep sea commences.

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Rock your Antibodies: Understanding an Ancient Immune System Protein in Brownbanded Bamboo Sharks

Sharks evolved into the top predators we know and love today millions of years ago. Because of their success at the top of the food chain, sharks have remained, in an evolutionary sense, relatively constant, meaning they haven’t evolved or changed much. This consistency provides shark scientists a window into the past, as some characteristics […]

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‘Out of Sight’ Can’t Mean ‘Out of Mind’

Surface marine debris and microplastic pollution has gotten more attention recently—which is great—but there’s another garbage problem we are only starting to get a handle on. Deep in the dark, discarded items litter the sea floor, like dust-bunnies swept along by currents and collecting at rates previously underestimated.

from oceanbites http://bit.ly/2uTsxwV https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Why We Oppose Bernhardt

President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Interior, David Bernhardt, is about to be voted on by the United States Senate. Ocean Conservancy is opposed to Bernhardt’s nomination, and now is the time to raise the alarm. We believe that Bernhardt’s long record pursuing policy actions that are bad for the ocean and environment means that he cannot be trusted to take on the job of one of the government’s top stewards of our nation’s public ocean resources. But you don’t have to take my word for it—just look at his track record.

David Bernhardt ‘s first post with the Trump administration was Deputy Secretary (the second-highest position at the Department of the Interior), a position for which he was nominated two years ago in April 2017. Even then, his appointment was met with immediate criticism from the ocean conservation community. Many were concerned that his career as an oil and gas lobbyist meant he would use his position to benefit industry interests at the expense of the environment. Analyses revealing Bernhardt’s extensive conflicts of interest and reports of oil executives celebrating Bernhardt’s rise at the Department of the Interior continue to fuel this opposition.

Bernhardt’s tenure at the Department of the Interior demonstrates that these concerns are well-founded. While Deputy Secretary (and more recently while serving as Acting Secretary since the resignation of former Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke) Bernhardt led the core political team that repeatedly adopted a pro-industry, anti-science approach to policy, including:

• proposing to open 98% of the United States’ outer continental shelf to possible offshore drilling;
• rolling back offshore drilling safety regulations that could weaken rules put in place after the Deepwater Horizon Disaster;
• terminating studies on improving offshore oil and gas safety inspections;and
• unleashing unrelenting attacks on science at the Department, such as refusing to acknowledge climate change and even completely removing climate change from strategic planning documents.

Please take action today—your Senators need to hear from YOU that we need to keep protecting ocean wildlife.

The results are clear and the track record is consistent. At nearly every turn, David Bernhardt has taken proactive steps to undermine ocean protections and open our public ocean resources to harmful and risky commercial extraction. Bernhardt’s career shows a clear pattern of anti-ocean policies that we simply cannot ignore.

At his confirmation hearing, David Bernhardt provided no indication that he would change course. In fact, he pledged to tirelessly move forward with the administration’s plan to expand offshore drilling, despite overwhelming opposition from Florida to New England and from the Atlantic to Pacific. When it comes to protecting our ocean and the communities that depend on it, the oil and gas industry cannot be allowed to call the plays. That’s why Ocean Conservancy is urging Senators to oppose Bernhardt’s nomination, and that’s why we will continue to hold David Bernhardt accountable if he is confirmed as Secretary of the Interior.

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The post Why We Oppose Bernhardt appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Is Recycling Enough to Save Our Whales from Plastics?

Earlier this week, I met with Janet Shamlian of CBS This Morning to explore the overwhelming problem of ocean plastic. Plastic touches all of our lives, from the food packaging we buy to the computers and phones we work on every day. Many of the plastics you touch in your daily life are used only once and thrown away, or at best, recycled. Getting waste collection and recycling right improves more than just ocean health. It can increase economic and job growth, make us healthier and reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses. But recycling alone is not enough to dig us out of the ocean plastic hole.

The CBS piece explored chemical recycling in particular, and while this approach may sound like the solution to all our recycling problems (it can process “contaminated” plastic, like items with food waste, but the jury is still out on exactly what role (if any) it could or should play in the plastic pollution equation. What we do know is that any solution must be safe for people, the planet and our ocean.

The bottom line is that there is no silver bullet to the ocean plastics problem.

Each year, an estimated eight million metric tons of plastic flows into the ocean. That’s an entire dump truck of plastic emptying into the ocean every single minute of every single day, 365 days a year—that’s not sustainable for people, the planet or our ocean.

Plastic has been found in the deepest part of the ocean—the Marianas Trench—and the northernmost point of our blue planet, the Arctic. It has been found in nearly every species of seabird known to man. It impacts more than 800 marine species and it harms seals, sea turtles, and whales—we’ve seen story after story of dead whales washing to shore with pounds of plastic in their stomachs. Plastic has even been found in the fish we eat.

Certain single-use disposable products like plastic bags, foam takeout containers and straws need to be phased out of the market place by businesses to eliminate the threat they pose to ocean health. At the same time, we need to ensure appropriate waste collection and improved recycling exists in all communities around the world, particularly in rapidly developing economies—we’re working to do just that.

Businesses and companies need to step up, and make sure that the products they’re putting into the marketplace can be captured and returned, instead of going into the natural environment—AND we need a wholesale redesign of some products and systems so that we can rapidly move to a circular economy.  We’ve seen a number of companies commit to these goals.

And each one of us has a role to play, too:

• Join us on the world’s largest single-day volunteer effort on behalf of the ocean, the International Coastal Cleanup. This year it’s September 21st, 2019.
• Download the Clean Swell app before you hit the beach and be a part of the solution anywhere, anytime. The app allows you to easily record each item of trash you collect. The data you collect will instantaneously upload to Ocean Conservancy’s global ocean trash database.
• Skip the straw when eating out and/or carry a reusable straw.
• Support businesses you see doing it right by stepping up to redesign their products (like Starbucks and their new straw-free lids)

At the end of the day, ocean plastic pollution is not an ocean problem. It’s a people problem. We can and must solve this problem.

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The post Is Recycling Enough to Save Our Whales from Plastics? appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Crabby but crabtivating: hermit crabs and ocean acidification

Walking along Tower Beach, you might not realize how many different invertebrates are right below your feet. Giant isopods, small-but-mighty barnacles, common shore crabs, blue mussels, and periwinkle snails. You pick up what you think is an unsuspecting periwinkle snail, but when you turn the shell over, you find a small bristly claw instead of […]

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The Video of Giant Isopods Eating an Alligator in the Deep Sea You Must Watch!

How Much is That Coral in the Window?

The Blob: The movie monster attacking fish

The Pacific marine heatwave of 2013-2016, called the Blob, caused ocean temperatures in Alaska to spike, harming wildlife from whales to salmon. A new study shows that even if the animals could take the heat, they may have been starving.

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Underwater Sound Sources: 2019 Webinar Series for the International Regulatory Community

Webinar Series from the University of Rhode Island and Inner Space Center

Click here to read the full article from its source (note: external link)

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Hard Lessons from a Disastrous Oil Spill

OC Overview for the Week of April 1 2019

Judge says Trump can’t re-open Arctic waters that Obama closed to drilling

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/03/judge-says-trump-cant-re-ope...

‘Lucky,’ the newest southern resident orca calf, seen swimming off California coast

https://q13fox.com/2019/04/01/lucky-the-newest-southern-resident-orca-ca...

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Ocean Acidification Reduces Habitat for Antarctic Organisms

A new study uses a climate model to predict that ocean acidification will reduce the viable habitat for many marine organisms in the Antarctic over the next century. This is because more acidic seawater dissolves the chemical compounds that the organisms need to form their shells.

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4 Ocean Tricksters