ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2012) — With millions of gallons of raw sewage dumping into New Jersey waterways following Hurricane Sandy, University of Delaware scientists are using satellites to help predict the sludge’s track into the ocean. “Technically, you can’t identify raw sewage from a satellite, but you can find river discharge that you suspect has […]
ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2012) — Scientists from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) published a study today in Nature Climate Change showing that besides marine inundation (flooding), low-lying coastal areas may also be vulnerable to “groundwater inundation,” a factor largely unrecognized in earlier predictions on the effects of sea level rise (SLR). Previous […]
Jörg Wiedenmann, Cecilia D’Angelo, Edward G. Smith, et al. Nature Climate Change (2012) doi:10.1038/nclimate1661 Mass coral bleaching, resulting from the breakdown of coral–algal symbiosis has been identified as the most severe threat to coral reef survival on a global scale1. Regionally, nutrient enrichment of reef waters is often associated with a significant loss of coral […]
Terry Hughes, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University. 3 October 2012, http://theconversation.edu.au/ A recent report on coral loss from the Great Barrier Reef has pointed the finger at cyclones and Crown of Thorns starfish. The real culprit is human activity, and until we reduce port activity and pollution, coral will […]
By Juliet Eilperin, Published: October 1, 2012. Washington Post Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985, according to a new study published Monday. The loss has been spurred by a combination of factors including hurricanes, coral-eating starfish and coral bleaching.The paper, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of […]
BY Jacqueline Charles and Curtis Morgan. Miami Herald. September 24, 2012 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Plastic and foam food containers are everywhere in this enterprising Caribbean nation — clogging canals, cluttering streets and choking ocean wildlife. Now those pesky black plastic bags made of polyethylene and polystyrene foam cups, plates, trays and other containers that have […]
27 September 2012, by Tom Marshall Too many nutrients can put corals at risk, a new study shows. Excessive nitrogen in the water affects their ability to cope with rising water temperatures and other environmental pressures, making them vulnerable to harmful bleaching. That is, an excessive supply of nutrients can paradoxically lead to nutrient starvation. […]
by Underwatertimes.com News Service – September 24, 2012 21:01 EST SILVER SPRING, Marlyland — Carbon dioxide released from decaying algal blooms, combined with ongoing increases in atmospheric carbon emissions, leads to increased levels of ocean acidification, and places additional stress on marine resources and the coastal economies that depend on them, according to a new […]
ScienceDaily (Aug. 16, 2012) — Research from the University of Southampton and the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton has found that an imbalance of nutrients in reef waters can increase the bleaching susceptibility of reef corals. Corals are made up of many polyps that jointly form a layer of living tissue covering the calcareous skeletons. They […]
By Stephen Leahy. INTER PRESS SERVICE. July 31, 2012 CAIRNS, Australia, Jul 24 2012 (IPS) – Most corals thrive only in shallow waters, where there is enough light for them to grow. But the rapid rise in sea level, due to the melting of polar ice, is making these conditions increasingly scarce. Measurements from tropical […]