Carbon dioxide (CO2), released from burning fossil fuels like oil and coal, is a big contributor to global warming and climate change. Over the years, scientists have come up with several creative ideas to capture the harmful gas. However, implementing them on a large scale has proved elusive. But that may change with Denmark's new, bold initiative, Project Greensand. It involves collecting CO2 before it enters the atmosphere and burying it under the North Sea....
Read news articleResearchers have long known that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — the massive accumulation of plastic waste in the North Pacific Ocean — is home to a variety of sea life. However, they had assumed they were all open ocean inhabitants. Now, a new study has found that it also harbors a surprisingly large number of coastal marine species. They include crabs, sea anemones, and worms....
Read news articleOn April 22, 2023, over a billion people worldwide will celebrate Earth Day with various activities. Some will plant trees. Others will participate in neighborhood clean-up efforts or enjoy a nature walk. The modern environmental movement began on April 20, 1970. On that day, 20 million Americans took to the streets to urge the government to take steps to protect our planet....
Read news articleTokitae, or Toki, the oldest killer whale in captivity, will finally be released to her "home waters" in Puget Sound, off Washington State. The 57-year-old orca, nicknamed Lolita, was captured when she was four and sold to the Miami Seaquarium in Florida. She entertained park visitors for over five decades before retiring in 2022....
Read news articleThe rediscovery of a fairy lantern species in Japan is exciting researchers worldwide. The Thismia kobensis (T. kobensis) was first found in Kobe, Japan in 1992. But it was considered extinct after an industrial complex was built in the area, destroying the plant's habitat....
Read news articleOn March 25, 2023, individuals, communities, and businesses worldwide will celebrate Earth Hour by turning off all lights and electronics for 60 minutes. The hour-long blackout will occur from 8:30 to 9:30 PM local time. The global event, held annually on the last Saturday in March, reminds us of the urgent need to protect our planet....
Read news articleA giant mass of brown seaweed called Sargassum is heading toward North America. Experts estimate it is over 5,500 miles (8,851 km) long and weighs around 10 million tons. The seaweed is expected to wash ashore on beaches in the Caribbean and Florida in late spring or early summer of 2023....
Read news articleThe United Nations (UN) member states recently announced a historic agreement to protect the world's oceans. The high seas treaty, unveiled on March 4, 2023, has been in the works for over a decade. It provides much-needed regulation to reduce pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction in our ocean waters....
Read news articleWhen passengers aboard a Viking Expedition cruise spotted a massive creature in the frigid waters off Antarctica, they suspected it was special. However, they did not realize they had stumbled upon the extremely rare, giant phantom jellyfish (Stygiomedusa gigantea). Until then, there had been only 126 recorded observations of the species since its identification in 1910....
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