Oil Spill Brings Attention to Delicate Gulf Coast
For decades, farmers and fishermen along the Gulf of Mexico watched as their sensitive ecosystem’s waters slowly got dirtier and islands eroded, all while the country largely ignored the slow, methodical ruin of an ecosystem vital to the U.S. economy…
Accoustic Pollution and Naval Sonar testing
Over the past 40 years, cumulative research across the globe has revealed a coincidence between naval sonar testing events and acute decompression sickness in beached marine mammals. Under a plan announced by the NOAA, marine mammal “hot spots” in areas including Southern California’s coastal waters, may become off limits to testing of a type of Navy sonar linked to the deaths of whales.
Structural and Functional Loss in Restored Wetland Ecosystems
Wetlands are among the most productive and valuable ecosystems in the world, but because of human activities, over half of the wetland ecosystems existing in North America, Europe, Australia, and China in the early 20th century have been lost. Wetland restoration is a billion-dollar-a-year industry, that aims to create ecosystems similar to those that disappeared, but a new analysis of such projects shows that restored wetlands seldom reach the quality of a natural wetland.
Coastal Storms Have Long-Reaching Effects, Study Says
Coastal storms are known to cause serious damage along the shoreline, but they also cause significant disruption of the deep-sea ecosystem as well, according to a study of extreme coastal storms in the Western Mediterranean.
Ninety Whales Stranded on New Zealand Beach
A pod of 90 pilot whales beached themselves at the top of New Zealand’s South island Monday in the same area where seven whales died in a mass stranding earlier this month, officials said.
Reef Fish at Risk as Carbon Dioxide Levels Build
Researchers from the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, examined over the years how baby coral fishes and their predators dealt with sea water containing higher levels of dissolved carbon dioxide.
Australia’s Government Plans To Increase Sand Dredging In Great Barrier Of Reef Area
Figures obtained through Senate Estimates reveal more than 112 million cubic metres – or 65 Melbourne Cricket Grounds – are proposed to be dredged from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area, with 52 million cubic metres already approved by the Federal Government.
Belize Protected Area Boosting Predatory Fish Populations
Sensitive coral reef ecosystems require a delicate balance of marine life to thrive. From the barracudas at the top of the food chain to the algae at the bottom, the system works together to keep itself healthy. A 14-year study by the WCS in an atoll reef lagoon in Glover’s Reef, Belize, has found that fishing closures there produce encouraging results.
Haiti’s Unnatural Floods
The nearly complete deforestation of Haiti has caused countless problems for the country, the people, and its biodiversity.