13 Aug 2024

In a recently published paper titled ‘Narwhal, beluga and bowhead whale responses to marine vessel traffic: A systematic map’ researchers looked at interactions between increases in marine vessel traffic and how Arctic whales respond to marine vessels and vessel-associated activities. Exposure to human activity Arctic whales (bowhead, narwhal, and beluga) have historically been shielded from […]

13 Aug 2024

Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef are now the hottest in at least 400 years and are an “existential threat” to the planet’s unique natural wonder, according to new scientific research. Scientists analysed long-lived corals in and around the reef that keep a record of temperature hidden in their skeleton and matched them to […]

13 Aug 2024

The European Commission has submitted the EU’s targets for implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. They are now publicly accessible through the ’Online Reporting Tool’ of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD). The EU targets cover all goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework agreed at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the […]

13 Aug 2024

Preliminary data exploration by ICES working group on the Ecosystem Effects of Fishing Activities (WGECO) offers an initial attempt to explore how fishing protection zones could be designed in the future. Recently, concerns over European fisheries have often centred on the impact of fishing displacement due to increasing competition for marine space, driven by, for […]

13 Aug 2024

As the international shipping industry continues to explore measures to conserve and protect underwater life, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is proposing the future monitoring of Underwater Radiated Noise (URN), which may lead to the establishment of thresholds combined with long-term monitoring requirements for certain regions. Far reaching impacts Underwater noise from ships can significantly […]

13 Aug 2024

With more than 500 species of sharks in the world’s oceans, ranging from the 7-inch dwarf lantern shark to 35 feet long whale shark, sharks are found from polar waters to the equator and at the water’s surface to miles deep. Although there is considerable variation in feeding modes and body sizes, sharks are often […]

13 Aug 2024

The first detailed maps from the underside of the Doston Ice Shelf in Antarctica has revealed patterns that couldn’t be explained by existing models. On one side of the ice shelf, areas where the ice had melted were teardrop shaped whilst the other side, however, resembled landscapes on ice.   Underside of the ice shelf. […]

07 Aug 2024

The government has published a new consultation seeking views on the proposed approach to revising the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in order to achieve sustainable growth in our planning system. The government is also seeking views on a series of wider policy proposals in relation to increasing planning fees, local plan intervention criteria and […]