Oceans

Climate Change Threatens Kelp Forests With Invasions of Weeds

Climate Change Threatens Kelp Forests With Invasions of Weeds

The devastating consequences climate change is already having on coral reefs is well known, but now scientists have discovered that yet another unique marine ecosystem is threatened by rising carbon dioxide levels. A paper published in Ecology this month based on research led by the University of Adelaide found that ocean carbon dioxide levels projected […]

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    Microplastics Pollute Rivers and Lakes, Too

    Microplastics Pollute Rivers and Lakes, Too

    By Kennedy Bucci and Chelsea Rochman When you think of microplastic pollution, plastic debris less than five millimeters in size, you likely envision the ocean—probably because ocean gyres gained notoriety for being a microplastic soup. But what about our lakes, rivers, forests and fields? They can be just as contaminated with microplastic debris as the […]

    Losing Wild Fish Would Be a Nuisance in Some Places, a Health Crisis in Others

    Losing Wild Fish Would Be a Nuisance in Some Places, a Health Crisis in Others

    By Amy McDermott Local, wild seafood is essential for global health. Around the world, more than 3 billion people rely on fish as a substantial part of their diet. Nearby fisheries offer vitamins and minerals otherwise unavailable in poor coastal areas. But local seafood, and the nutrients it provides, is at risk. More than half […]

    For Baby Sea Turtles, Beaches Become Safer While Ocean Hazards Mount

    For Baby Sea Turtles, Beaches Become Safer While Ocean Hazards Mount

    By Pamela T. Plotkin On beaches from North Carolina to Texas and throughout the wider Caribbean, one of nature’s great seasonal events is underway. Adult female sea turtles are crawling out of the ocean, digging deep holes in the sand and laying eggs. After about 60 days turtle hatchlings will emerge and head for the […]

    Why It’s Time We March for the Ocean

    Why It’s Time We March for the Ocean

    By Sylvia Earle & David Helvarg We’ve recently seen the remarkable capacity of youth to mobilize and to inspire us with a message of change in their march against gun violence. Theirs is also a generation equipped with technologies not just to connect to each other but to better understand our blue planet in ways […]

    Study Reveals Dangerous Antarctic Feedback Loop

    Study Reveals Dangerous Antarctic Feedback Loop

    A new study of the melting patterns of glaciers in Antarctica provides real-world evidence for one of the more troubling model-based climate change predictions, The Washington Post reported Monday. The study, published April 18 in Science Advances, found that fresh water melting off of glaciers in some regions of Antarctica caused a layer of cold, […]

    7 Things You Can Do to Create a Plastic-Free Future

    7 Things You Can Do to Create a Plastic-Free Future

    By Jen Fela We’re celebrating a huge moment in the global movement for a plastic-free future: More than one million people around the world have called on big corporations to do their part to end single-use plastics. Now we’re taking the next big step. We’re setting an ambitious new goal: A Million Acts of Blue. […]

    Iceland to Resume Killing Endangered Fin Whales

    Iceland to Resume Killing Endangered Fin Whales

    By Kitty Block Iceland seems to be the most confused of nations when it comes to whales. On the one hand it attracts international tourists from all over the world to go out and see whales as part of their encounters with Iceland’s many natural wonders. On the other hand it kills whales for profit, […]