Breaking Waves: Ocean News

05/21/2024 - 01:00
Oil Change International says plans do not stand up to scrutiny and describes US fossil-fuel corporations as ‘the worst of the worst’ Major oil companies have in recent years made splashy climate pledges to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and take on the climate crisis, but a new report suggests those plans do not stand up to scrutiny. The research and advocacy group Oil Change International examined climate plans from the eight largest US and European-based international oil and gas producers – BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Eni, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies – and found none was compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels – a threshold scientists have long warned could have dire consequences if breached. Continue reading...
05/21/2024 - 00:07
Tassal staff legally killed 53 of the native birds with permission from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast The Tasmanian government approved the shooting of dozens of cormorants after substandard netting allowed hundreds of the birds to enter fish cages at a salmon farm near Hobart. Right to Information documents released to Tasmanian Inquirer revealed that an estimated 641 cormorants entered fish cages at the Sheppards salmon lease near Coningham in November and December 2023. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup This article was republished with permission from the Tasmanian Inquirer Continue reading...
05/20/2024 - 23:47
The well-preserved huia bird feather was expected to fetch up to NZD$3,000 but ended up selling for more than NZD$46,000 A rare and highly prized feather from the extinct New Zealand huia bird has sold for NZD$46,521 (US$28,365), making it by far the world’s most expensive feather ever sold at auction. The hammer price far exceeded initial estimates of between $2,000-$3,000, and blew the previous record-holder’s price out of the water. Until Monday’s sale, the previous record sale was another huia feather that sold in 2010 for $8,400. Continue reading...
05/20/2024 - 23:00
‘Catastrophic’ global decline due to dams, mining, diverting water and pollution threatens humans and ecosystems, study warns Migratory fish populations have crashed by more than 80% since 1970, new findings show. Populations are declining in all regions of the world, but it is happening fastest in South America and the Caribbean, where abundance of these species has dropped by 91% over the past 50 years. Continue reading...
05/20/2024 - 19:40
States must roll out batteries, solar and wind energy more quickly to ease risk of blackouts, market operator says Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Eraring, the nation’s biggest coal-fired power station, may need to delay its closure to ease blackout threats in New South Wales, while other eastern states also face “periods of high risk” because of the slow rollout of renewables, the Australian Energy Market Operator warns. In an unusual update of its Electricity Statement of Opportunities report, Aemo forecast so-called reliability gaps in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria unless authorities “orchestrated” faster deployment of solar and wind energy as well as batteries. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
05/20/2024 - 19:38
It’s likely the urban pest first emerged from its native lands about 1,200 years ago. As global trade accelerated, the hitchhikers made their way more rapidly around the world Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast German cockroaches thrive in buildings all over the world. They’re one of the most common cockroach species, causing trouble for people both here and overseas. But in nature, they’re nowhere to be found. Just how this urban pest evolved and populated our dwellings was unknown – until now. Continue reading...
05/20/2024 - 14:11
Species, with only a few dozen seen by humans since first discovered, usually lives in darkness up to 3,300ft below sea level Oregon beachgoers stumbled across a rare find over the weekend, after a deep-sea anglerfish washed up from the ocean depths. The discovery marked the first time this creature, which typically dwells in the darkness up to 3,300ft below sea level, was seen on Oregon shores according to the local Seaside Aquarium, which posted about it on Facebook. Continue reading...
05/20/2024 - 14:00
‘Critical slowing down’ of recovery raises concern over forest’s resilience to ecosystem collapse More than a third of the Amazon rainforest is struggling to recover from drought, according to a new study that warns of a “critical slowing down” of this globally important ecosystem. The signs of weakening resilience raise concerns that the world’s greatest tropical forest – and biggest terrestrial carbon sink – is degrading towards a point of no return. Continue reading...
05/20/2024 - 11:27
Variations in water quality can impact the development of the visual system of one species of African fish, suggests a new study.
05/20/2024 - 10:48
Vulnerable birds deviating from migratory routes by up to 155 miles, which could affect breeding Eagles that have migratory routes through Ukraine have shifted their flight paths to avoid areas affected by the conflict, researchers have found. GPS data has revealed that greater spotted eagles not only made large detours after the invasion began, but also curtailed pitstops to rest and refuel, or avoided making them altogether. Continue reading...