What is Sea Foam?

The term “sea foam” reminds me of two things: when I convinced my parents to let me paint my childhood bedroom “sea foam” green and the gruesome ending of Hans Christian Anderson’s original story of The Little Mermaid. Arguably, sea foam, or spume, is one of the least memorable things about an average trip to the beach. But occasionally, when the shore gets extra foamy, I can’t help but wonder—what is sea foam really made of? The answer is surprisingly simple. 

Sea foam is a natural substance borne from a combination of decomposing organic matter and agitation, (i.e., decaying plants meet waves and wind). These little bits of “stuff” in ocean waters are made up of salts, fats, proteins, algae, plankton, bacteria and more. These act as a surfactant, or surface-acting agent, which reduces tension on water molecules, creating bubbles. Another popular foaming substance–soap–is also a surfactant. Imagine if your local barista were to froth a bit of ocean water, instead of milk, for your cappuccino. While I don’t think that will be the next seasonal craze at your local coffee house, essentially that’s how sea foam is created, except ocean water is being whisked by the agitation from the wind at the surface of the water. 

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The differences in sea foam density and proliferation depend on the concentration and type of organic matter and the intensity of the agitation, which varies by region and season. This is why you’re more likely to see sea foam in areas with more algal and phytoplankton blooms–or other organic matter in the water—or after a major storm or hurricane. In cases of extreme weather, sea foam can actually render a beach invisible, as in this case from Australia in 2020, or when sea foam swamped the coast of Tossa de Mar in Spain during Storm Gloria. And in some cases, sea foam just provides a good time on the beach—as in Argentina in February 2021. 

Generally, sea foam is harmless (albeit loaded with bacteria), but there are instances where sea foam can be dangerous. In cases where the water itself has a higher concentration of toxins, sea foam can pose a larger threat. If there are toxic algal blooms, like red tide, or man-made contaminants, like pesticides or detergents in the water, those toxins are contained within the bubbles of sea foam. When those bubbles pop, the toxins can become airborne and compromise the air that is breathed in that location. 

In large quantities, the foam can present a visibility hazard, hiding marine debris that could cause physical injury. It can also make an escape difficult if the foam rises too high or is accompanied by rough seas. In May 2020, five surfers in the Netherlands lost their lives during such conditions. Another danger related to sea foam is not the foam itself but what could be lurking beneath. In Australia, there were reports of venomous sea snakes beneath the massive sea foam—apparently, they like the bubbles. 

Sea foam is there to enjoy—but to take care as well. With climate change increasing the intensity and frequency of storms, we could see more extreme sea foam events in the future. It’s up to us to research how climate change will affect our ocean—and develop sustainable, ocean-based climate solutions. Learn more about our climate action at Ocean Conservancy.

The post What is Sea Foam? appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Four Lesser-Known Marine Mammals

What the IPCC Report Says About Our Ocean

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has sounded the alarm on climate change since their first report in 1990. Their reports provide policymakers with the information they need, like those in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) who set the ambition for global climate action. This week the IPCC released the AR6 Synthesis Report, and the message is clear: To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we need to drastically cut emissions. 

This set of reports, written as part of the present Sixth Assessment Report cycle, paint a clear picture of the current state of knowledge on climate change causes, impacts, adaptations and emission-reduction solutions. Each IPCC report gives us more insights into how our ocean is changing, how those changes might impact the wildlife and communities that depend on it, and the options for ocean-based climate solutions. 

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How is climate change impacting our ocean? 

Simply put, climate change is putting the ocean at risk in more drastic ways than we’ve ever seen before. Here’s a look at findings in the latest IPCC report on the impact of climate change on our ocean: 

• The reports find that climate impacts are already widespread, rapid and intensifying. We know human influence has caused this warming in the atmosphere, ocean and land.
• Planet Earth has already warmed more than 1 degree Celsius. Even with the international commitments made in November at COP27 in Egypt, we are still on track to see 2.1-2.9 degrees of warming by 2100. 
• If global warming exceeds warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040, irreversible impacts will occur in ecosystems with low resilience including polar, mountain and coastal ecosystems.
• The ocean is getting warmer, becoming more acidic and losing oxygen at a faster rate than ever recorded—so fast that species, including humans, may not be able to adapt to these changes.
• There is high confidence that climate change has already caused irreversible losses in terrestrial, freshwater and coastal and open-ocean marine ecosystems. Projected climate change, in combination with other drivers, like unsustainable development, will cause further loss by 2040 of much of the world’s forests, coral reefs and low-lying coastal wetlands as well as the biodiversity they contain.
• As many as 3.6 billion people are already highly vulnerable to climate change with at least 1 billion at risk from coastal-specific climate hazards. By 2040, continued and accelerating sea-level rise will encroach on coastal communities and infrastructure and submerge and destroy low-lying coastal ecosystems. These risks rapidly increase in the mid- and long- terms if warming continues.
• Food security, food safety and supply chains are already at risk from climate change. Risks to food security and safety will be compounded by increasing contamination of seafood from harmful algal blooms, mycotoxins and chemical contaminants.

How can we protect our ocean in the face of climate change? 

The ocean is both a victim of climate impacts and a vital part of climate solutions. Robust science is critical to understanding the opportunities to slow the effects of climate change and give the ocean and coastal ecosystems and communities time to adapt. Here are some key findings in the latest report on ocean climate solutions: 

• Adaptation planning and implementation have increased globally; however, there is a significant gap between current levels and what is needed to respond to and reduce climate impacts. Filling this gap requires transformational shifts in investment and implementation for climate resilience.
• Near-term mitigation and adaptation actions can decrease the extent and severity of predicted climate impacts. 
• The global economic benefit of limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius is expected to be higher than the cost of staying below 2 degrees. There are relatively low-cost mitigation options available now, including solar and wind energy, energy efficiency and natural ecosystem conservation that could cut global emissions in half by 2030.
• Coastal ecosystems, called “blue carbon” ecosystems (e.g., mangroves, salt marshes and sea grasses) store significant amounts of carbon. These carbon stocks are difficult to restore once lost, and the loss rates of salt marsh and seagrasses (the most common blue carbon ecosystems in the United States) are still uncertain.
• Deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is essential to get to net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions due to residual emissions from certain sectors. There are different methods for CDR, including some that rely on the ocean. It is unfortunate to note, however, that there most methods are not widely used.

The IPCC sixth assessment reports rely on the best available science to show our future if we don’t act now. Urgent and equitable climate action is needed at all scales from international to national to local. As of 2022, 61% of Americans believe it is not too late to act on climate. Only 12% of Americans doubt climate change is happening. This means Americans take climate change seriously. We have hope. 

Conserving our ocean, coasts and the communities that depend on them is critical to a brighter climate future.  At Ocean Conservancy, we’re working to bring the power of the ocean to the global fight against climate change. We are advancing ocean climate solutions from green shipping to coastal restoration to clean ocean energy. You can take action to call for ocean climate solutions here. 

The post What the IPCC Report Says About Our Ocean appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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How the U.S Can Cut Maritime Emissions

For several years, Ocean Conservancy has joined with partners to sound the call for the decarbonization of the shipping industry. Each year, the shipping industry delivers more than 10 billion tons of goods—amounting to approximately 90% of all trade but emits 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in the process. These pollutants are not only a major culprit of advancing climate change, but also impact air quality in marginalized port communities and cause approximately 250,000 premature deaths and 6 million childhood asthma cases around the world each year. 

The United States continues to affirm its commitment to decarbonizing the shipping industry—from signing the Clydebank Declaration, to developing green shipping corridors, to, most recently, releasing a new blueprint for transportation decarbonization. Eliminating shipping emissions will go a long way towards reaching a zero-carbon future. However, to achieve these ambitions the U.S. will need a clear navigational route. 

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A new report from Ocean Conservancy and Energy and Environmental Research Associates, Reducing Greenhouse Gases in the Maritime Sector: Approaches for Decarbonizing the U.S. Fleet, explores options for how the United States can transition its U.S.-flagged vessels to a zero-carbon future and decarbonize the federal fleet. Building on an earlier analysis of The Maritime Fleet of the USA, this report analyzes vessel characteristics, fleet activity and alternative maritime fuels and technologies, and makes a series of policy recommendations. The report focuses on 153 of the 180 larger, privately owned U.S.-flagged commercial vessels and 30 research vessels owned and operated by U.S. federal agencies, also known as the federal fleet.

While shipping accounts for only 0.58% of emissions in the United States, decarbonizing domestic fleets is an important part of the United States. reaching its goal of a net-zero greenhouse gas economy by 2050. If the U.S. government and industry take the steps to be first movers with the commercial and federal fleet and build the appropriate infrastructure to support the transition to zero-emission alternative fuels and technologies, this will have a cascading effect of removing barriers for other fleets that call on U.S. ports from around the world to switch to these alternative fuels. Below we outline the various approaches and recommendations made by the report to achieve this goal.

An aging U.S. fleet

The U.S. commercial fleet is generally older, with more than half of its vessels more than 15 years old. These vessels use less efficient technologies that emit more greenhouse gases and pollution than those found in newer vessels, and many are nearing the end of their useful lives. Replacing these vessels would result in a higher impact on emissions reductions comparatively. The federal fleet is also facing a turning point, with estimates that it will decline to only 18 vessels by 2030 if no investments are made into retrofits and new builds. Strategies to keep existing vessels operating and reduce their emissions include retrofitting the vessels and integrating new technologies into their builds. The aging fleet is a problem, but it is also an opportunity for government and industry to invest in developing and testing new clean vessel designs and retrofit technologies that can support decarbonization globally. 

Fuels for the future

Alternative marine fuels and technologies, including ammonia, biofuels, hydrogen and methanol, are either in use or under consideration by the shipping industry to help it meet both the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) carbon intensity standards and the Biden administration’s new commitment to decarbonize the sector by 2050. While each alternative fuel has costs and benefits, our report finds that green hydrogen and green ammonia, which are produced with 100% renewable energy, are the most promising options for a zero-emission future. Green hydrogen in fuel cells does not contain carbon or emit greenhouse gases or black carbon at any point in its lifecycle. The production of green hydrogen and ammonia, as well as all other zero-emission fuels, will take time to ramp up. In the meantime, lower carbon transition fuels that can facilitate production and infrastructure development—and that don’t lock us into continued fossil fuel dependence—should be considered, along with more investment in renewable energy, such as wind, to power the production of green fuels. 

Investing in infrastructure

Within the U.S.-flagged domestic and international commercial fleet, just 35 of the 153 vessels analyzed account for more than half of the total estimated annual energy consumption. The good news is that the top ten ports visited by these vessels all have the potential for alternative fuel bunkering. Similarly, only three vessels account for more than 20% of the energy consumption for the federal fleet. While existing alternative fuel infrastructure may be more limited at the top 10 ports the federal fleet visited, all of the ports are within 500 miles of hydrogen-production facilities. With hydrogen available to the top ten ports for both the U.S. commercial fleet and federal fleet, the United States could advance decarbonization by investing in renewable green energy infrastructure and hydrogen refueling facilities at these ports, and, in turn, create green shipping corridors all around the country.

Funding and financial incentives

The maritime industry has historically been slow to adopt new technologies that come at a cost premium, and other issues like regulatory uncertainty and limited availability of alternative fuels are further delaying progress. We need funding for technical research and development to ensure the availability of safe, efficient fuels and propulsion systems. Funding for clean and green energy grids is also important in producing alternative, zero-carbon fuels, like green hydrogen, without any lifecycle emissions. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act provided historic levels of funding that can be used for shipping decarbonization. We need to push to ensure these funds and others are used for maximum emissions reductions, fuel and vessel development, and landside infrastructure, and call for more public and private investments. In addition, we also need to explore how to use tax and other incentives as mechanisms to push industry along, including regulation that reduces risks faced by first movers. Taking this two-pronged approach will give industry the means and reason to act quickly, a necessity for reaching sector-wide goals.

Looking forward

There is no better time for the United States to signal a commitment to an emissions-free future internationally than with an ambitious domestic shipping decarbonization plan. At the upcoming 80^th Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting in July 2023, the IMO is set to revise the initial strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping which will govern the sector worldwide. Reducing Greenhouse Gases in the Maritime Sector: Approaches for Decarbonizing the U.S. Fleet explores the opportunities for decarbonizing the U.S. fleet and provides a comprehensive analysis of technical and policy approaches to achieve emissions reductions. We call on advocates and policy makers to join us in pursuing these opportunities and positioning the United States to be a leader in the race to decarbonization. 

The post How the U.S Can Cut Maritime Emissions appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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