Oceans

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    First-of-its-Kind Study Points to Higher Levels of Ocean Microplastics

    First-of-its-Kind Study Points to Higher Levels of Ocean Microplastics

    Scientists and environmentalists have raised the alarm about microplastics polluting our oceans. Now, researchers at the University of Manchester have revealed more details of how they might get there. The first ever catchment-wide microplastic study, published March 12 in Nature Geoscience, assessed microplastic contamination in the sediments of river beds along 40 sites in northwest […]

    5 Environmental Catastrophes in the Trump Budget (and Who to Call to Stop Them)

    5 Environmental Catastrophes in the Trump Budget (and Who to Call to Stop Them)

    By AnaChristina Arana President Trump has released his 2019 budget proposal, and when it comes to environmental policy, it’s full of bad ideas. The proposal he sent to Congress on Feb. 12 threatens our health, safety and economic future through major cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), essential environmental programs and our judicial […]

    Environmentally-Friendly Drones Sail Away for Science

    Environmentally-Friendly Drones Sail Away for Science

    The Mars Rover might be the most famous autonomous vehicle teaming up with human scientists today, but another type of drone is helping researchers here on Earth. The drones are wind-and-solar powered sailboats fitted with cameras, sensors and other research tools, and two of them are set to return in April from their first science […]

    640,000 Metric Tons of Ghost Gear Enters Oceans Each Year

    640,000 Metric Tons of Ghost Gear Enters Oceans Each Year

    Governments around the world are waking up to the scourge of plastics on our oceans and its creatures by banning items such as shopping bags and drinking straws. But an often-overlooked form of plastic waste is also a major threat to our seas: “ghost” gear. A report released Thursday from World Animal Protection highlights that […]

    ‘Beast From the East’ Drives Sea Life Die-Off

    ‘Beast From the East’ Drives Sea Life Die-Off

    March certainly came in like a lion in the UK and Ireland, as “the Beast from the East” brought freezing temperatures, up to 20 inches of snowfall and travel disruptions to the British Isles. But what was disruptive for the region’s human inhabitants was deadly for its marine life. Hundreds of thousands of lobsters, starfish, […]

    ‘Plastic, Plastic, So Much Plastic!’: Diver Films Sea of Trash Off Bali

    ‘Plastic, Plastic, So Much Plastic!’: Diver Films Sea of Trash Off Bali

    British diver Rich Horner posted footage of his plastic-infested swim off Bali’s Manta Point on Saturday. “The ocean currents brought us in a lovely gift of a slick of jellyfish, plankton, leaves, branches, fronds, sticks, etc…. Oh, and some plastic,” Horner wrote on Facebook. “Some plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic cups, plastic sheets, plastic buckets, […]

    World’s First Plastic-Free Supermarket Aisle Debuts in the Netherlands

    World’s First Plastic-Free Supermarket Aisle Debuts in the Netherlands

    The world’s first plastic-free supermarket aisle debuted in Amsterdam on Wednesday. Shoppers at the Jan Pieter Heijestraat branch of Dutch supermarket chain Ekoplaza will have roughly 700 plastic-free products to choose from, including meat, rice, sauces, dairy, chocolate, cereals, yogurt, snacks, fresh fruit and vegetables. Instead of plastic, items are packed in compostable materials or […]