oceans
Paris (AFP) - Sea level rise could hit major US cities like New Orleans and San Francisco harder than expected by mid-century because coastal land is sinking, researchers said Wednesday, warning current flood defences leave people and property at risk. Global warming is melting ice sheets and glaciers and raising ocean water levels across the world, with predictions that the United States will see some of the fastest increases, threatening coastal regions that are home to some 30 percent of the country's population. Sea level rise of around 30 centimetres (nearly a foot) is already project...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - A golden egg, or an alien, on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean? American scientists have discovered a mysterious dome-shaped specimen deep on the Alaskan seafloor, but nobody knows for sure what it is. Ocean researchers using a remotely operated survey vehicle were amazed last week when they spotted the strange item on a rock about 3,300 meters (two miles) deep in the Gulf of Alaska. It is over 10 centimeters (4 inches) in diameter and had a small tear near its base. "As cameras zoomed in, scientists were stumped as to its identification, with initial thoughts ranging from a ...
AFP
Summerland Key (United States) (AFP) - Super-heated seawater off the Florida Keys has grown so perilous to the world's third-largest barrier reef that scientists are now removing samples of coral from ocean nurseries to place in cooler land-based tanks. Sea temperatures off Florida have risen to extraordinary highs this month, presenting a severe threat to the barrier reef. "Hot water is not good for any marine organism, whether it be coral, fish or lobster. So we run the risk of having massive fish die offs, sea turtle die offs, things like that," said Alex Neufeld, projects coordinator with ...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - On the heels of a new record high in the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic reached its hottest-ever level this week, several weeks earlier than its usual annual peak, according to preliminary data released Friday by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The news comes after scientists confirmed that July is on track to be the warmest month in record history -- searing heat intensified by global warming that has affected tens of millions of people. "Based on our analysis, the record-high average sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic Ocean is 24.9 deg...
AFP
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - A new global treaty on the high seas will enable the creation of sanctuaries deemed vital for the oceans, but many questions remain unanswered. Among them: How can we protect marine areas far from the coast? Where will they be created, and when? Unique, fragile areasThe text to be adopted at the United Nations on Monday provides for the creation of marine protected areas in international waters, in areas that are unique, particularly fragile or important for endangered species. Biodiversity is a priority, "but it's not the only important criteria," Minna ...
AFP
Sarasota (United States) (AFP) - With its brilliant sun, white sand and turquoise water, Lido Key Beach would make for a perfect postcard of Florida beaches if it weren't for the dozens of dead fish lying on the shore, killed by a toxic algae bloom known as red tide. The bloom usually hits Florida's Gulf Coast in the summer, but this year it has come during spring, a time when thousands of American families flock to the Sunshine State during school break, and the outbreak bodes ill for its tourism sector. On the terrace of the Lido Beach Resort, Jeff Napier, a 62-year-old employee, laments the...
AFP
Paris (AFP) - Plastic pollution in the world's oceans has reached "unprecedented levels" over the past 15 years, a new study has found, calling for a legally binding international treaty to stop the harmful waste. Ocean plastic pollution is a persistent problem around the globe -- animals may become entangled in larger pieces of plastic like fishing nets, or ingest microplastics that eventually enter the food chain to be consumed by humans. Research published on Wednesday found that there are an estimated 170 trillion pieces of plastic, mainly microplastics, on the surface of the world's ocea...
AFP
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN member states finally agreed Saturday to a text on the first international treaty after years of negotiations to protect the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet. "The ship has reached the shore," conference chair Rena Lee announced at the UN headquarters in New York shortly before 9:30 pm (0230 GMT Sunday), to loud and lengthy applause from delegates. The exact wording of the text was not immediately released but activists hailed it as a breakthrough moment for the protection of biodiversity after more than 15 yea...
AFP
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN member states struggled Saturday to nail down a long-awaited agreement on the high seas, after a sleepless night of negotiations on a treaty to protect a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet. After more than 15 years of informal and formal talks, negotiators have reached the end of two more weeks of discussions -- the third "final" session in less than a year. But as of early Saturday in New York, participants were still wrangling over the highly political issue of benefit-sharing for research derived from marine genetic resour...
AFP
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN member states embraced "positive energy" Monday as they launched two weeks of negotiations aimed at finally reaching a treaty meant to protect and preserve vast areas of the world's oceans. After more than 15 years of formal and informal talks, this is the third time in less than a year that negotiators have converged on New York in what, yet again, is supposed to be a final and conclusive round. But as the talks, set to run through March 3, opened on Monday, cautious optimism appeared to be taking hold. "I hope we've come together here with a will to...
AFP
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