What’s Going On Here? Researchers extracting sediment core from the seabed on the south-eastern Weddell Sea made a surprise discovery, when their camera sent down the borehole revealed a life-bearing rock – 16 sponges accompanied by 22 unidentified animals. What Does This Mean? The footage of the boulder shows it is home to at least two types of sponge and other organisms,…
What’s Going On Here? In a world first, an ocean initiative has been formed by 14 governments who are leading the way to sustain healthier, more prosperous oceans. The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy is the biggest collaboration on oceans to date. What Does This Mean? Like-minded world leaders with sustainable ocean management at heart have recently released their…
What’s Going On Here? A recent paper in Nature Communications has found that the world’s oceans could be absorbing significantly more carbon from the atmosphere than previously thought. What Does This Mean? The ocean is a carbon sink and absorbs around 25% of global atmospheric carbon dioxide through a process called the ‘ocean-atmosphere CO2 flux’. This amounts to about 2 billion tonnes…
What’s Going On Here? The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is melting at such a high rate that even if global heating were to stop today, the ice would continue to disappear. What Does This Mean? According to a new study conducted by scientists at Ohio State University, the world’s second largest ice sheet has reached a tipping point, whereby annual snowfall is…
What’s Going On Here? On Monday 8th June we celebrated World Oceans Day – established in 1922 to help protect our blue planet. This year, the global movement is calling on world leaders to protect 30% of oceans by 2030. Let-Minnow Some More… This initiative called 30×30 is designed to help safeguard at least 30% of our oceans through a network of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) that…
What’s Going On Here? The COVID-19 lockdown has provided scientists with a once in a life-time opportunity to examine the impacts of a quieter ocean on marine life. What Does This Mean? We know that wildlife in cities has benefited from less traffic, cleaner air and less people on the streets, but a steep reduction in sea traffic is also good news…
What’s Going On Here? This week, we learnt that the largest mining operation in the history of our planet is about to begin; underwater in the Atlantic Ocean, off the West Coast of Africa. What Does This Mean? Deep sea mining has been talked about for decades, but until now it’s been deemed too risky to operate in the high-pressure, pitch-black conditions.…
What’s Going On Here? The UK Government announced the creation of 41 new marine conservation zones around the UK’s coastline, covering an area eight times the size of London and expanding the UK’s marine ‘Blue Belt’ to an area twice the size of England. What Does This Mean? This is the largest expansion of the UK’s marine ‘Blue Belt’ to date. The expansion comes…
What’s Going On Here? UK mackerel, once considered a sustainable option for fish-eaters, has been stripped of its sustainable status after years of overfishing. What Does This Mean? The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) came to the decision after a huge drop in mackerel stocks. According to The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), stocks have dropped over 2 million tonnes in…
