Sea ice cover in the polar oceans has a key role in climate, ecology and society. It influences global ocean circulation, the radiation budget, global climate sensitivity and ice sheet mass loss; it offers habitats for plankton and wildlife; and it provides a vital lifeline for native communities. Sea ice extent (SIE, the total surface […]
According to the Environment Agency there were 3.6 million hours of spills compared to 1.75 million hours in 2022. Water UK, the industry body for sewerage companies, said it was ‘unacceptable’ but the record levels were due to heavy rain. Sewage spilling can be legal but environmentalists say it should only happen in exceptional weather. […]
In reaction to the EU’s interim evaluation of its 2030 Biodiversity Strategy released on 13 March, the marine NGOs Oceana and Seas At Risk have published an assessment of Member States’ pledges on marine protection targets. They warn that EU Member States are set to miss targets to protect 30% of EU seas by 2030. […]
Scotland’s First Minister, the Rt Hon. Humza Yousaf MSP officially opened the world’s first dedicated innovation centre for floating offshore wind on the 18th March. In Aberdeen’s Energy Transition Zone, ORE Catapult’s £9 million National Floating Wind Innovation Centre (FLOWIC), delivered in collaboration with ETZ Limited, has been designed to help the development of floating […]
Although established indicators enable managers to monitor progress toward ending “overfishing” and “Illegal Unreported or unregulated (IUU) fishing”, there is no globally agreed definition or indicator for “destructive fishing”. The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) recommends: “States should prohibit dynamiting, poisoning and other comparable destructive fishing practices” (art. 8.4.2)”. However, a review […]
The six main UK gull species – the black-headed gull, common gull, Mediterranean gull, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull and great black-backed gull – are all declining and either amber- or, in the case of the herring gull, red-listed. Photo: Tony Jolliffe/BBC. The herring gull is on the UK Red List of birds of […]
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology team is hoping to fortify coastlines with “architected” reefs — sustainable, offshore structures engineered to mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while also providing pockets for fish and other marine life. The team’s reef design centres on a cylindrical structure surrounded by four rudder-like slats. The engineers found that […]
The International Seabed Authority (ISA), in collaboration with the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and supported by the European Union, has announced the successful applicants for the “One Thousand Reasons” campaign. There were 65 applications from 21 countries among all five regional groups of ISA Members and one country with observer status. This initiative […]