#ocean biodiversity

[surviving-the-next-4-years]

Good news to get you through February.

[mythigal1966]

Tiles Turn Flat Seawalls Into Mini-Reefs!

[hleavesk]

Russia: Bodies of 2,500 seals found along Caspian Sea coast

The seals were found on the Caspian Sea coast, but officials do not believe they died violently.

not sure about the reason yet.

(source: bbc news | 4 dec 2022)

[rjzimmerman]

New Study Identifies Rapidly Emerging Threats to Oceans - Inside Climate News

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

A globe-spanning study published Thursday outlines new, potentially unexpected threats to ocean ecosystems and vulnerable coastal communities within the next five to 10 years that will come on top of the already harmful effects of overfishing, pollution and global warming.

The goal of what the research team calls a horizon scan is to try to prevent ecological catastrophes. Many of the emerging menaces are linked with global warming, including runoff from areas burned by wildfires, the potentially toxic effects of new biodegradable materials intended to replace plastics, lithium mining from ocean-bottom brine deposits and a rise in toxic metal contamination driven by ocean acidification.

The research, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, also warns that many fish will move away from the hottest equatorial ocean regions, leaving a dead zone that diminishes food security for millions of people in developing countries, who rely on fish for daily nutrition. Where fish do remain, global warming appears to reduce their nutritional content because in warmer oceans, plankton produce fewer fatty acids for the fish to consume.

The research team included 30 experts from 11 countries who joined forces to identify emerging changes to marine and coastal habitats. Using a method known as horizon scanning, scientists submitted a total of 75 new ocean issues just appearing on the science radar.

The entire team, made up of marine and coastal scientists, practitioners, and policymakers narrowed and divided the list of issues through several rounds of reading and voting into three main categories: ecosystem impacts, resource exploitation and novel technologies.

Through that process, the researchers realized that it would take 10 to 15 years before they fully understand “whether or not these issues are going to come to provenance,” Thornton said. “We feel it gives the opportunity for policymakers and practitioners to at least have a think and say, ‘Hang on, we haven’t thought of that.’”

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

#ProtectTheOceans #BeneathTheSurfaceLiesTheFuture "Octopus Odyssey expedition is currently underway in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Costa Rica, with the objective of investigating underwater mountains that scientists believe harbor distinctive habitats and biodiversity." Schmidt Ocean Institute

[hleavesk]

Tubby 'mermaids' vanished from Chinese waters 2 decades ago, now declared extinct

Dugongs, or sea cows, are thought to have inspired tales of mythical mermaids.

biodiversity loss evidence

(source: live science | 25 aug 2022)

[hleavesk]

Ocean animals face a mass extinction from climate change, study finds

Rising temperatures and dwindling oxygen levels are decimating marine species. But humanity can avert mass die-offs by curbing fossil fuel use and other planet-warming activities.

with marine lives down, human being will be next

(source: washington post | 29 apr 2022)

[hleavesk]

In the Oceans, the Volume Is Rising as Never Before

A new review of the scientific literature confirms that anthropogenic noise is becoming unbearable for undersea life.

on oceans again. from new york times, 4 feb 2021

... sound can travel thousands of miles and link animals across oceanic basins and in darkness, Dr. Duarte said. As a result, many marine species are impeccably adapted to detect and communicate with sound. Dolphins call one another by unique names. Toadfish hum. Bearded seals trill. Whales sing.

The new study maps out how underwater noise affects countless groups of marine life, including zooplankton and jellyfish. “The extent of the problem of noise pollution has only recently dawned on us,” Dr. Erbe wrote in an email.