Category: Environment
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Three ocean scientists receive Heinz awards
Shout-out to three of our colleagues who’ve received the prestigious Heinz award for work that benefits the environment. The Pittsburgh-based Heinz Family Foundation has presented the awards since 1994 in memory of Sen. John Heinz III. From the WaPO: “Teresa Heinz told The Associated Press that the awards recognized innovative approaches to serious topics for…
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How much is the ocean worth? In Australia at least $25B a year
A new report from an Australian think tank has made an attempt to estimate the value of services that the ocean surrounding the continent of Australia provides free of charge to human society, such as fishing, clean water, nursery habitats, carbon sequestration, and so on. The conclusion: Australia’s marine ecosystems are worth $25 billion a…
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Minds in the water
A movie by pro surfer Dave Rastovich of Surfers for Cetaceans. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3GExD8djwo&[/youtube] Surfers and the rest of us that enjoy or live off the ocean have a responsibility.
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Warming-induced killer crab invasion threatens Antarctic biodiversity
[Editor’s update: One of our observant readers and experts on deep-sea crabs, Dr Thomas Shirley of Texas A&M, points out that the photo above taken from the Mail article is of the tanner crab (Chionoecetes sp.), NOT the the giant king crab Neolithodes yaldwyni that is moving onto the Antarctic shelf. This is correct –…
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California approves fin ban: what next for shark celebrities?
Sharks fin soup is on the way out in America’s Golden State. Today the California State Senate voted 25-9 to pass a bill that will ban the sale, trade, and possession of shark fins. In a few days it’ll be signed by the governor and effectively put an end to one of the largest, legal…
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After six millennia, the elusive Northwest Passage is open for business — and conflict
The race is on. The European Space Agency (ESA) reports that the Arctic is into another year of below-average sea ice cover, and that the big melt has opened two major shipping routes. After five centuries of imperial intrigue, papal declarations, naval battles, failed commercial ventures, and rueful ends to frostbitten voyages, the elusive Northwest…
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Life at sea
Miriam Goldstein has a super post up at DSN about the logistical challenges of floating libertarian paradises like the conceived “Seasteading” city above. She points out that it can get, well pretty rough at times at sea (in some places all the time). Stuff exposed to salt water and air tends to corrode (in a matter…
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Shark in the streets of Puerto Rico. (OK, we ARE making this up.)
Late-breaking erratum: My initial suspicion of this one was confirmed by our intrepid readers and commentors Mark and David. It is, in fact, bogus. Thanks Guys! Doh! Just missed shark week on this one. I am going somewhat against my better instincts as a scientist cum journalist in reproducing this without a full background check.…
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Sailors for the sea
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDpPun4_53M&[/youtube] I ran across this neat organization on facebook called Sailors for the sea. They promote sustainability and ocean education in the sailing world. Their site has a nice list of tips about Clean Boating and a carbon calculator and information about offsetting carbon emissions. Speaking of sailers as ocean advocates, a group of sailors…
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Fishing gear altered to limit by-catch
There is a good article in the NYT by Cornelia Dean about by-catch and changes in fishing gear designed to reduce it: But new efforts to protect marine creatures have gained surprising support from researchers, regulators, engineers and fishermen. The issue is bycatch — fish, whales, turtles, sea birds and even corals killed or injured…