Sockeye carcasses tossed on shore over two decades spur tree growth
In a 20-year study, researchers have found that nearly 600,000 pounds of sockeye salmon carcasses tossed to the left side of a small, remote stream in southwest Alaska, helped trees on that side of the stream grow faster than their counterparts on the other side.
How microplastics, marine aggregates and marine animals are connected
Prior research has suggested that mussels are a robust indicator of plastic debris and particles in marine environments. A new study says that’s not the case because mussels are picky eaters and have an inherent ability to choose and sort their food. Instead, the researchers have discovered that marine aggregates also called ”marine snow,” play a much bigger role in the fate of the oceans when it comes to plastic debris.
Hurricane Willa closes in on Mexico’s Pacific coast
Hurricane Willa, a fierce Category 3 storm, closed in on Mexico’s Pacific coast Tuesday with 120 mph winds, prompting more than 4,000 evacuations in coastal towns.
A 14-year-long oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico verges on becoming one of the worst in U.S. history
An oil spill that has been quietly leaking millions of barrels into the Gulf of Mexico has gone unplugged for so long that it now verges on becoming one of the worst offshore disasters in U.S. history. Between 300 and 700 barrels of oil per day have been spewing from a site 12 miles off the Louisiana coast since 2004.
Hurricane Willa Strengthens Into a Category 5 in Eastern Pacific
Hurricane Willa has intensified into a Category 5 in the eastern Pacific Ocean and will threaten Mexico with destructive winds, life-threatening storm surge and flooding rainfall as it makes landfall on Tuesday.
Beaches of Saint-Tropez hit by Mediterranean oil spill
A containership and a ferry collided off the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea, causing a three-mile long spill of heavy fuel, with French and Italian coastal authorities scrambling to contain it. The mayor of the village of Ramatuelle, which lies on the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, told AFP that 16 kilometres (10 miles) of coastline had been affected by the spill.
Salty water causes some freshwater harmful algae to release toxins
The finding suggests that understanding the mixing of fresh and salt water, which takes place in many coastal water bodies around the world, will help researchers understand the toxic effects of these harmful algal blooms.
Plastic pollution has increased a hundredfold in remote parts of the South Atlantic
The amount of plastic debris in the ocean waters of the British islands in the South Atlantic — some of the most remote places on the planet — has increased hundredfold in the last 30 years, according to a new study.
These 10 companies are flooding the planet with throwaway plastic
Nine months, six continents, 239 cleanup events, and more than 187,000 pieces of trash later, we now have the most comprehensive snapshot to date of how corporations are contributing to the global plastic pollution problem.