El Hierro Submarine Eruption
Off the coast of El Hierro, in the southwest reaches of the Canary Islands, Earth has been spewing gas and rock into the ocean. The island off the Atlantic coast of North Africa, built mostly from a shield volcano—has been rocked by thousands of tremors and earthquakes since July 2011, and an underwater volcanic eruption started in mid-October.
Seven Billion And Counting
How is the changing global population affecting people’s daily lives? With the UN set to announce that there are now seven billion people on the planet, BBC News reporters spoke to seven people from around the world to hear their stories.
Thailand floods’ Shut Down Bangkok’s Second Airport
Advancing floodwaters in Thailand breached barriers protecting Bangkok’s second airport, in Don Muang, Tuesday. Don Muang has come to symbolize the gravity of the Southeast Asian nation’s deepening crisis, which has seen advancing waters drown a third of the country and kill 366 people over the last three months.
Up to 20 million tons of debris from Japan’s tsunami moving toward Hawaii
Up to 20 million tons of debris from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March, is traveling faster than expected and could reach the U.S. West Coast in three years. The marine debris were recently spotted by a Russian ship’s crew.
NZ, Almost 500 Tonnes Of Oil Pumped From Rena Cargo Ship
481 tonnes of oil has been pumped from the stricken ship Rena, which originally held 772 tonnes of oil, as the salvage operation accelerates. 10 tonnes of fuel oil escaped the beleaguered ship on Saturday night and yesterday morning, and was being swept north by the tide, towards Mayor Island, a wildlife refuge and marine reserve.
Stressors To Florida Keys Marine Ecosystem, A Study
NOAA scientists have found that pressure from increasing coastal populations, ship and boat groundings, marine debris, poaching, and climate change are critically threatening the health of the Florida Keys ecosystem. Many historically abundant marine resources such as green sea turtles and coral habitat continue to be at risk with low rates of recovery.
Loving the Chambered Nautilus to Death
It is a living fossil whose ancestors go back a half billion years, to the early days of complex life on the planet, when the land was barren and the seas were warm. Nautilus lives on the slopes of deep coral reefs in the warm southwestern Pacific, but scientists say humans are loving the chambered nautilus to death, throwing its very existence into danger.
Bioluminescence: Explanation for Glowing Waves Suggested
It has long been known that distinctive blue flashes, a type of bioluminescence, that are visible at night in some marine environments are caused by tiny, unicellular plankton known as dinoflagellates. However, a new study has, for the first time, detailed the potential mechanism for this bioluminescence.
Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Woldwide: Sources and Sinks
Scientists are reporting that household washing machines seem to be a major source of so-called “microplastic” pollution, bits of polyester and acrylic smaller than the head of a pin, that they now have detected on the shorelines at 18 sites worldwide representing six continents from the poles to the equator, with more material in densely populated areas.