250 billion plastic fragments in Mediterranean
The estimate comes from French and Belgian marine biologists who analysed water samples taken in July off France, northern Italy and Spain. The figure derives from 4,371 minute pieces of plastic, average weight 1.8 milligrams (0.00006 of an ounce) found in the samples, which extrapolates to roughly 500 tonnes for the entire Mediterranean.
Yurok indians seek land for a tribal park on the North Pacific Coast
The Yurok Tribe, who has lived along this rugged coast for centuries, envisions that its park would be managed as part of the chain of national and state parks that necklace the Redwood Coast from Mendocino County to the Oregon border, some of the most spectacular and contested landscapes in California.
Decline of West Coast fog brought higher coastal temperatures last 60 years
Fog is a common feature along the West Coast, but a University of Washington scientist has found that summertime coastal fog has declined since 1950 while coastal temperatures have increased slightly.
What’s Outside Counts, Too: European Law and Excess Packaging
The citizens of Lincolnshire, England, were so fed up with the layers of plastic and cardboard and Styrofoam that encased their store purchases this fall that they took a high-priced, highly wrapped piece of meat to court.
Tsunami Early Warning System for the Indian Ocean (GITEWS) has been completed
300 tsunami alert stations were built throughout Indonesia in the past 6 years. But, when the most recent tsunami struck on 25 October, killing 431 people in the Mentawai Islands, questions were raised about its overall efficiency, also showing that any alert system ought to include a widespread education component for coastal population to counteract any sense of false security.
King Tides Seen as a Model for Rising Seas
The King Tide Photo Initiative 2010, launched by the British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment in Canada, asks individuals to record the possible impacts of sea level rise by photographing high water level events in B.C.’s coastal areas, to help build a photo library and to offer us a chance to visualize what normal sea levels may look like in the future.
Sea-level study brings good and bad news to Chesapeake Bay
A new study of local sea-level trends by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science brings both good and bad news to localities concerned with coastal inundation and flooding along the shores of Chesapeake Bay.
100% of Most Challenging Plastic Wrapping Could Be Recycled With New Technology
Researchers at the University of Warwick have devised a new technique which could process 100% of household plastic instead of the tiny fraction that currently actually gets processed.
Sydney’s Beach protection attempt may carry price tag of $700m
Preserving Sydney’s beaches against rising sea levels could cost more than $700 million over the next 50 years and would require the government to reverse its long-standing position regarding offshore sand mining.