Sand artist on Carmel Beach creates beauty with nature
San Francisco-based earthscape artist Andres Amador creates stunning works of art on stretches of California beaches. His most recent canvass was Carmel Beach. Amador said sketching art that will only last during low tide before being erased by waves is an act of meditation for existing in the moment and being at peace.
Beach erosion making St Clair too dangerous, New Zealand
Dunedin surfers and lifeguards are calling for urgent council action to save St Clair beach. The call comes as the city prepares to host the National Surf Championships next week. Beach erosion has been a problem at St Clair for more than a century, as waves hitting the sea wall bounce off with more energy than those washing back from a regular beach.
Spread of algal toxin through marine food web broke records in 2015
While Dungeness crab captured headlines, record levels of the neurotoxin domoic acid were found in a range of species, and the toxin showed up in new places.
Turtles’ age determined by atomic-bomb fallout in their shells
During the years spanning the mid-1950s to 1970, the US government conducted some serious atomic bomb testing above the waters of the Pacific Ocean. As a result, the corals accumulated a lot of nuclear fallout into their structures. But the coral wasn’t the only sea creature to take radioactive material onboard, hawksbill sea turtles incorporated the material into their shells as well.
Human impact has pushed Earth into the Anthropocene, scientists say
There is now compelling evidence to show that humanity’s impact on the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and wildlife has pushed the world into a new geological epoch, an “Anthropocene” – ending the current Holocene which began around 12,000 years ago.
Dam projects on world’s largest rivers threaten ecosystems, rural livelihoods
Advocates of huge hydroelectric dam projects on the Amazon, Congo, and Mekong river basins often overestimate economic benefits and underestimate far-reaching effects on biodiversity, according to a new article by scientists representing 30 academic, government, and conservation organizations in eight countries.
NASA’s CORAL Campaign Will Raise Reef Studies to a New Level
Coral reefs, sometimes called the rainforests of the sea, are home to a quarter of all ocean fish species. They protect shorelines from storms and provide food for millions of people, yet very little of the world’s reef area has been studied scientifically.
The environmental loss of illegal sand mining in South Africa
Research shows that KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape are home to more than 200 illegal sand mining operations. Umvoti River sand is as good as gold in the construction industry. Its stellar components have placed it among the best sand in South Africa for building purposes. But this comes at a great environmental loss.
Thousands of Pink Plastic Detergent Bottles Wash Up on British Beach
On the same shores where nautical-themed Lego pieces wash up daily, thousands of neon-pink bottles full of detergent have started littering the beaches of Cornwall, England. The bottles are believed to be from a container that fell off a cargo ship as a result of stormy seas.