Brown Pelicans: A Test Case For the Endangered Species Act
Brown pelicans were removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List in 2009, but a recent crash in Pacific Coast populations of sardines, the pelican’s prime food, is posing new threats to these oddly elegant birds. Pelicans are just one of many indicator species that fisheries managers ignore at the peril of both marine ecosystems and commercial fishermen.
Coral Reefs are Critical for Risk Reduction & Adaptation
Stronger storms, rising seas, and flooding are placing hundreds of millions people at risk around the world, and big part of the solution to decrease those risks is just off shore. A new study finds that coral reefs reduce the wave energy that would otherwise impact coastlines by 97 percent.
Antarctica’s Glaciers are Collapsing – Are We Ready To Pay Attention?
Changing coastlines are part of the new reality. Changes will happen more rapidly in the future – once we have come to terms with this, it may open the door for more meaningful action at local, national and global levels to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving rapid climatic changes, and to help those who are most vulnerable to sea level rise…
Decline of West Antarctic Glaciers Appears Irreversible
Two studies published this week conclude that a section of the West Antarctic ice sheet has reached a point of inevitable collapse, an event that would eventually raise sea levels more than a meter (three-plus feet).
Traditional Wisdom to the Rescue in Cyclone Season
May and November bring the most vicious cyclones to the Bay of Bengal rim countries in Southeast Asia. However, in regions bordering the bay, the tribes defer to geomorphological conditions and respect Nature’s benevolence for disaster resilience
Mangroves Could Be Saviour of Guyana’s Shrinking Coastline
With climate change robbing Guyana of some of its prime agricultural land, the government is looking to mangroves as a natural barrier to the rising seas.
The Lumber Boom of Coastal South Carolina
A new display at the South Carolina Maritime Museum in Georgetown called “HENRIETTA, the Largest Wooden Sailing Ship Ever Built in South Carolina,” effectively combines illustrations and illuminations to explain the huge amount of resources needed to construct the square-rigged HENRIETTA.
The Physics of Ocean Undertow: Creating More Robust And Sustainable Beaches?
People standing on a beach often feel the water tugging the sand away from under their feet. This is the undertow, the current that pulls water back into the ocean after a wave breaks on the beach. Large storms produce strong undertows that can strip beaches of sand.
10 best beaches in Germany: in pictures
They may not be as famous as those of Greece or Spain, but Germany has some of the best stretches of sand in Europe.