Thirty years of unique data reveal what’s really killing coral reefs
Coral bleaching is not just due to a warming planet, but also a planet that is simultaneously being enriched with reactive nitrogen from sources like improperly treated sewage, and fertilizers.
Flesh-eating bacteria kills a Memphis man who visited Florida waterways
A Tennessee man died Sunday after he became infected with Vibrio vulnificus, a type of flesh-eating bacteria, while vacationing in Okaloosa County, Florida. Vibrio causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government’s public health agency.
As Ocean Temperatures Rise, Corals Are Steadily Moving Poleward
Rising ocean temperatures are increasingly causing coral reefs to shift away from the equator into more temperate waters. Over the past 40 years, the number of young corals has declined by 85 percent on tropical reefs, while at the same time doubling in cooler regions, according to a recent study.
The Best White Sand Beaches in the World
From the Maldives to Panama City Beach, there’s something for everyone.
In an era of extreme weather, concerns grow over dam safety
Many of the United States’ 91,000 dams are aging and sorely in need of repairs that could collectively cost tens of billions of dollars. Experts are increasingly worried that as extreme precipitation events increase, dams are at greater risk of failure, threatening lives and posing environmental risks.
The California coast is disappearing under the rising sea. Our choices are grim
While other regions grappled with destructive waves and rising seas, the West Coast for decades was spared by a rare confluence of favorable winds and cooler water. But lines in the sand are meant to shift. In the last 100 years, the sea rose less than 9 inches in California. By the end of this century, the surge could be greater than 9 feet.
A massive seaweed bloom is smothering life from the Caribbean to West Africa
For eight years, thick mats of seaweed have smothered coral reefs, trapped sea turtles and brought economic instability to coastal communities as reddish-brown gobs of foul-smelling sargassum wash onto beaches along the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and tropical Atlantic. These phenomena are symptoms of a massive seaweed bloom scientists are calling the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt.
Beachgoers beware: Drivers pose potentially deadly danger on the sand
Beachgoers are being urged to stay vigilant this summer amid an alarming number of injuries — and even deaths — caused by drivers on the beach. At least 12 states allow you to drive on at least some beaches.
What happens when a country drowns? These 5 island nations will disappear first
Global climate change is endangering small island countries, many of them developing nations, potentially harming their ability to function as independent states.