April 23, 2020 Express & Star
Satellites can be used to successfully identify plastics floating on the surface of the sea, a study has found, with the potential to help ocean clean-ups. Data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellites was used to develop the method, which allows aggregations of plastic pieces and items such as bottles and carrier bags to be spotted and identified from space.
April 22, 2020 Alex Fox Smithsonian Magazine
The crustaceans’ guts pulverize plastics into tiny bits that can be consumed by even smaller creatures at the base of the ocean food chain.
April 20, 2020 By Boyce Upholt Hakai Magazine
Efforts to clean up the lingering effects of the oil spill are well underway, but secrecy and deregulation have returned to the Gulf, raising the specter of a repeat.
April 19, 2020 By Jimmy Thompson The Narwhal
The pandemic offers a temporary reprieve from the clamour of ocean noise — which can affect how whales and other species communicate, navigate and feed — and an opportunity to reflect on the consequences of human activity for marine life.
April 16, 2020 By F. Joel Fodrie The Conversation
When the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released 4 to 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, some early projections estimated that the toll on fisheries could reach US$5-10 billion by 2020. Chemicals in crude oil may affect fish and other marine creatures directly, through their toxicity, or indirectly by harming their food or habitat, and the effects can be immediate or long-term.