June 30, 2020 By Emma Bryce and Mary Flora Hart chinadialogue ocean
There are five trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean. Here’s how they got there, what it’s doing to marine life, and some potential solutions.
June 29, 2020 By Christina Couch Smithsonian Magazine
Deborah Giles and her dog are on a mad search for floating poop. Killer whale poop, to be precise. Giles, a killer whale biologist at the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology, is cruising the Strait of Juan De Fuca, a roughly 15-mile-wide inlet between Canada’s Vancouver Island and Washington state. The coastal waterway is a hotspot for migrating killer whales. Lately, the waters have been calmer and quieter because of boating and border restrictions enacted in the wake of COVID-19. That is why Giles has brought her scat-tracking dog, Eba, who will sniff the air as the boat cruises then start licking her lips, whining, and barking as they get closer to killer whale excrement.
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 29, 2020 By Benjamin Lowy The New York Times
Nestled off the coast of Baja California Sur, near La Paz, lies a string of islands in the Sea of Cortez — including Isla Espíritu Santo and Isla Partida. Part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and one of Mexico’s leading eco-tourism destinations, these islands, along with their surrounding reefs and outcrops, are home to countless forms of marine life.
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.