Oceans

Study Finds New Reason to Ban Plastic: It Emits Methane in the Sun

Study Finds New Reason to Ban Plastic: It Emits Methane in the Sun

The proliferation of plastic pollution has led to concerns over its impact on marine life and human health as the toxins it absorbs and emits move up the food chain. Now, a new study reveals yet another potential plastic hazard: It releases greenhouse gasses. The study, published in PLOS One Wednesday, found that some of […]

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    Nearly 300 Sea Turtles Dead as Red Tide Plagues Southwest Florida

    Nearly 300 Sea Turtles Dead as Red Tide Plagues Southwest Florida

    Hundreds of sea turtles have washed up dead along the southwest Florida coast as an ongoing red tide event persists in the waters. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has logged 287 sea turtle deaths since the virulent algal bloom started in October, the Associated Press reported. That figure is twice the average number […]

    ‘Twilight Zone’ Reefs Win a Conservation Spotlight

    ‘Twilight Zone’ Reefs Win a Conservation Spotlight

    By Allison Guy In May 2016, technical divers descended 200 feet to Benham Bank, the shallowest portion of a huge underwater plateau off the Philippines’ northeast tip. As they neared the bottom, an otherworldly landscape emerged from the dim cobalt blue. Plates of coral grew one atop the other like china at a yard sale, […]

    ‘Giant Wind-and-Wave-Powered Pac Man’ to Gobble Up Great Pacific Garbage Patch

    ‘Giant Wind-and-Wave-Powered Pac Man’ to Gobble Up Great Pacific Garbage Patch

    The Ocean Cleanup is preparing to launch its highly anticipated cleanup system in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But the contraption’s final design looks slightly different from the original vision. The non-profit organization, founded by 23-year-old Dutch inventor and entrepreneur Boyan Slat, aims to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. Five years ago, the then-teenager […]

    Shark Week 2018: 3 Shark Stories You Don’t Want to Miss

    Shark Week 2018: 3 Shark Stories You Don’t Want to Miss

    By Jessica Pink Editor’s note: Shark Week 2018 has kicked off! Before you dive in, take a look at three shark stories from the past week that you should know about. For even more content, check out six of Human Nature’s most popular shark stories, including our exploration of “demon whale biters.” 1. Sharks vs. […]

    More Than 17,500 Square Miles Protected for Hawaii’s False Killer Whales

    More Than 17,500 Square Miles Protected for Hawaii’s False Killer Whales

    Monday the National Marine Fisheries Service designated 17,500 square miles of ocean as protected critical habitat for Hawaii’s false killer whales, a dolphin species whose numbers have dwindled to around 150 in the wild. The new rule, responding to legal action by the Natural Resources Defense Council, designates critical habitat from a depth of 45 […]

    What’s the Value of a Clean Beach? Here’s How Economists Do the Numbers

    What’s the Value of a Clean Beach? Here’s How Economists Do the Numbers

    By Timothy Haab Millions of Americans head outdoors in the summer, whether for a day at a nearby lake or a monthlong road trip. For environmental economists like me, decisions by vacationers and outdoor recreators offer clues to a challenging puzzle: estimating what environmental resources are worth. In 1981 President Ronald Reagan issued an executive […]

    Typhoons, Floods, Heat Waves Batter Asia

    Typhoons, Floods, Heat Waves Batter Asia

    From flash floods in Vietnam to a blistering heat wave in Japan, countries across Asia are suffering from extreme weather, CNN reported Sunday. The events come nearly two months into the continent’s annual rainy season that extends from June to November, according to The Straits Times. A 2016 study showed that typhoons in Asia had […]