Tag: marine environment

A chromatogram of oil that leaked from the Macondo well. Each peak represents one of thousands of chemical compounds in the oil (Image Credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Five years after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killed 11 workers, and unleashed the largest accidental oil spill in history, the lingering question five years on is how long will it take the environment to get back to “normal.” What’s normal for the Gulf, however, is an elusive question for scientists. One of the most deviling issues is where vast amounts of the 4.9 million barrels of oil still unaccounted for and 1.85 million gallons of the toxic oil dispersant Corexit that sunk it went, and to what extent this combination is still affecting the seas, marshes, beaches and wildlife. The oil still at large, said a 2014 study from the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the University of California at Irvine, is estimated at about 2 million barrels, which is on the ocean floor at depths of some 1000 meters. Scientists generally estimate it will take another five to 10 years from now to determine the full impact of the spill from BP’s ...

Ken Buesseler, a marine radiochemist at WHOI Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have for the first time detected the presence of small amounts of radioactivity from the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in a seawater sample from the shoreline of North America. The sample, which was collected on February 19 in Ucluelet, British Columbia, with the assistance of the Ucluelet Aquarium, contained trace amounts of cesium (Cs) -134 and -137, well below internationally established levels of concern to humans and marine life. The WHOI scientists, with the help of citizen volunteers, have collected samples at more than 60 sites along the U.S. and Canadian West Coast and Hawaii over the past 15 months for traces of radioactive isotopes from Fukushima.  Last November, the team reported their first sample containing detectable radioactivity from Fukushima 100 miles (150 km) off shore of Northern California. However, no radiation had yet been found along any of the beaches or shorelines where the public has been sampling since 2013. “Radioactivity can be dangerous, and we should be carefully monitoring the oceans after what is certainly the largest accidental release of radioactive contaminants to the oceans in history,” said Ken Buesseler, ...

New ships routeing measures aimed at protecting sensitive areas in the south-west Coral Sea, off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, have been agreed by the IMO Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR), meeting for its 2nd session. (9-13 March). The recommendatory area to be avoided and two-way shipping routes aim to reduce the risk of ship collisions and groundings by separating opposing traffic streams, whilst ensuring ships keep clear of reefs, shoals and islets in the sensitive marine environment in Australia's Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve.   Location of the proposed two-way routes and Area To Be Avoided in the Coral Sea (Map courtesy AMSA) Australia submitted the proposals as “Associated Protective Measures”, linked to a proposal to extend the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) eastwards, to parts of the Coral Sea. The PSSA extension proposal will be submitted by Australia to IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in May 2015 for consideration.  The ships routeing measures are an “area to be avoided” and two new five nautical mile wide two-way routes, on either side of the area to be avoided.   The proposed ships routeing measures will be submitted to IMO’s ...

  Ocean ecosystems around the world are threatened by overfishing, extensive shipping routes, energy exploration, pollution and other consequences of ocean-based industry. Data exist that could help protect these vulnerable ecosystems, but current management strategies often can't react quickly enough to new information, said San Diego State University biologist Rebecca Lewison. She and colleagues from several other academic, governmental and non-governmental organizations endorse a new approach called "dynamic ocean management" in a paper published today in the journal BioScience. "Dynamic ocean management is an exciting coming-together of science and management," said Lewison, one of the project's lead scientists. "It captures the best available science and directs it to meet the needs of resource managers and industry. What's exciting about this research is that it puts science to work, fundamentally changing the way we manage oceans." Traditional ocean management strategies tend to be static, Lewison explained, with fixed boundaries in space and time. Unfortunately, there's often a sizable lag time between what scientists and ocean users know and when that knowledge is applied to management policies. For example, consider California's leatherback sea turtles. Research on this endangered species is critical, said Sara Maxwell, an ecologist at Old Dominion University and another ...

  Dr. Jose Matheickal, Head ITCP Implementation and Major Projects from IMO’s Marine Environment Division and Ms. Josephine Uranza, IMO’s Regional Coordinator for East Asia, participated in the first high-level regional meeting covering the IMO project to Assist East Asian Countries in Ratifying and Implementing IMO Instruments for the Protection of the Marine Environment (10-11 March). The regional meeting, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was attended by the heads of maritime administrations, national focal points and national experts of the participating countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). The meeting concludes the planning phase of the project, which is being sponsored by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) through the IMO/NORAD Cooperation Programme. Through this project, each participating country is given support in order to assist the country in acceding to and effectively implementing key IMO marine environment protection conventions.   Source and Imaeg Credit: IMOIn the origin, I was straightforward with you propecia before and after has changed my subsistence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is fabulous to sit.

Less than 3% of the world’s oceans are protected, and the vast majority of existing marine parks and reserves are either poorly managed, or not looked after at all. And yet, from maintaining sources of food to helping protect shorelines, and from protecting biodiversity to providing income and jobs, marine protected areas can achieve so much.  WWF has mapped these areas in the world that are of the highest priority in terms of food security and livelihoods, and the threats they face. Also, WWF has created the following infographic to illustrate the benefits of MPAs     Benefits of MPAs Maintaining biodiversity and providing refuges for endangered and commercial species  Protecting critical habitats from damage by destructive fishing practices and other human activities and allowing them to recover  Providing areas where fish are able to reproduce, spawn and grow to their adult size  Increasing fish catches (both size and quantity) in surrounding fishing grounds  Building resilience to protect against damaging external impacts, such as climate change  Helping to maintain local cultures, economies, and livelihoods which are intricately linked to the marine environmen   Source & Images credit: WWFIn the origin, I was frank with you propecia before and after has changed ...

On 20 January 2015, the Philippine Government received from the US government the full requested amount of Php 87,033, 570.71 as compensation for the damage caused to Tubbataha Reef by the grounding of the USS Guardian.  All Posts The compensation will be utilized for the protection and rehabilitation of Tubbataha Reef Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Portions of the fund will also be used to further enhance capability to monitor the area and prevent similar incidents in the future.  In addition to the compensation received, the US government is also providing additional assistance to the Philippine Coast Guard to upgrade the PCG Substation in Tubbataha. Source: Philippine GovernmentIn the onset, I was explicit with you propecia before and after has changed my essence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is improbable to sit.