It’s no secret that humans produce and use far too much plastic. The more than 400 million tons generated each year is polluting our planet and choking our oceans. The plastic crisis is so great that 80 percent of marine debris — from microplastics to fishing gear — is made from plastics, according to the […]
A new study has found high concentrations of perfluoroalkyl acids, or PFAA, in sea spray. In fact, researchers noted that the levels of PFAAs in sea spray aerosols were even higher than in seawater itself, and the researchers estimated that emissions of PFAAs from sea spray could be even greater than those in the atmosphere […]
More than 1,220 volunteers have cleaned up nearly 9.9 tons of marine litter from beaches in East Africa’s Seychelles islands, in what researchers called an impressive example of citizen science. The cleanup took place on 52 beaches across 10 islands from June 2019 to July 2023, a press release from University of Plymouth said. “This […]
By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes and Olivia Rosane This year marks the 54th year of Earth Day! What better way to celebrate than to explore opportunities to join others in helping combat the climate crisis and make our planet cleaner, greener and more sustainable? Here are a few suggestions to get you started. 1. Square Up […]
The planet is currently experiencing its fourth global coral bleaching event on record, affecting most of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). It is the second mass bleaching in the past decade, NOAA scientists said in a press release. Across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean basins, heat stress at levels high enough to cause bleaching […]
In a series of 40 action-based initiatives, the European Union is investing $3.71 billion to advance ocean sustainability and conservation in 2024, the bloc’s environment commissioner said. The announcement was made at the Our Ocean Conference in Greece and is the largest pledge by the EU since the conference began a decade ago, a press […]
Studies have recently detected microplastics in human lungs and blood, and previous research shows humans ingest and inhale many microplastics even at home. In 2020, scientists uncovered microplastics in human organs for the first time. Now, researchers are making sense of how microplastics that are ingested can make their way from the gut to other […]
A new study led by scientists from the University of Exeter has found that the risk of seabed creatures being exposed to plastics depends on how they feed and interact with their environment, rather than simply reflecting pollution levels in their local area. All ocean plastic ends up sinking to the seafloor, a richly biodiverse […]
Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced plans to invest 780 million euros (about $829 million) for marine conservation and pollution cleanup. The country will pursue 21 marine conservation initiatives with the money. As reported by Reuters, some of the initiatives will include the development of two marine parks: one will be located in […]