July 3, 2020 By Richard C. Paddock The New York Times
It was trash season on Bali, the time of year when monsoon storms wash up tons of plastic debris onto the island’s beaches. It was also the time for two teenage sisters, Melati and Isabel Wijsen, to organize their annual island cleanup.
July 2, 2020 By Amélie Botollier-Depois AFP
When he sets sail alone for a gruelling round-the-world yacht race this year Fabrice Amedeo will have a scientific mission to add to his sporting goal: collecting microplastics.
July 1, 2020 By Megan Gannon Smithsonian Magazine
Australia has a deep human history stretching back 65,000 years, but many of its oldest archaeological sites are now underwater. In an encouraging sign that Aboriginal artifacts and landscapes may actually be preserved offshore, archaeologists have discovered a 7,000-year-old site submerged along Australia’s continental shelf, the first of its kind. Their discovery is outlined today in the journal PLoS One.
June 29, 2020 By Chris Baraniuk Hakai Magazine
In 1971, scientists photographed an octopus living 5,100 meters beneath the waves. It was the deepest-dwelling octopus ever seen—until now.
June 26, 2020 By William J. Broad The New York Times
What lies off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, in the Coral Sea? The region was mostly unexplored and uncharted until a recent expedition searched its dark waters, uncovering an abundance of life, weird geologic features and spectacular deep corals. The deepest forays reached down more than a mile.