Protecting oceans: It’s not Rocket Science

It’s not rocket science: closing areas of land and water to humans allows nature to recover and restore its fragile balance. The idea has been successfully tried and tested many times on land but it has taken years of destruction before the message has hit home for the oceans.

Mapping the World’s Forests in Three Dimensions

Trees cool and moisten our air and fill it with oxygen. They calm the winds and shade the land from sunlight. They shelter countless species, anchor the soil, and slow the movement of water. They provide food, fuel, medicines, and building materials for human activity. The coastal Pacific Northwest of the USA has the tallest trees in North America, averaging as much as 40 meters in height. It has the densest biomass in the country, but for centuries, it also has been a much-tapped resource.

Fish Farms at Sea: The Ground Truth from Google Earth

The fishing industry is notorious for underreporting the number of organisms that are being fished out of the world’s oceans every year. A study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, is the first to estimate seafood production using satellite imagery. Researchers used Google Earth to count and measure the number of coastal fish farms in 16 countries on the Mediterranean Sea.

Residents split over dredging plan for giant cruise liners, UK

A controversial plan to dredge a channel through part of Falmouth Bay – one of England’s finest stretches of marine habitat- to open up the port to giant cruise ships, has caused consternation among conservationists and the dispute will test European rules to protect ecosystems.

Are Jellyfish Increasing in the World’s Oceans? A UCSB Study

Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations, clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants, and recent media reports have created a perception that the world’s oceans are experiencing increases in jellyfish due to human activities such as global warming and overharvesting of fish.