Ocean/Waterway Pollution
| Health of the Oceans: | |
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www.physorg.com |
"Jellyfish outbreaks a sign of nature out of sync." The dramatic proliferation of jellyfish in oceans around the world, driven by overfishing and climate change, is a sure sign of ecosystems out of kilter, warn experts. "When vertebrates, such as fish, disappear, then invertebrates -especially jellyfish -appear" 2008 AFP. PhysOrg. |
www.nytimes.com |
"Rapid Growth Found in Oxygen-Starved Ocean ‘Dead Zones’" NY Times article- 8-15-2008. |
ehjournal.net |
Wood's Hole. Proceedings of the Centers for Oceans and Human Health Investigators Meeting 24–27 April 2007. |
www.nytimes.com |
"Stinging Tentacles Offer Hint of Oceans’ Decline" NY Times August 3, 2008. An explosion of jellyfish populations reflects overfishing, rising sea temperatures and pollution, scientists say. |
www.nytimes.com |
"Human Shadows on the Seas" NY Times. By Andrew C. Revkin. February 26, 2008 Discusses a paper that maps 17 kinds of human ocean impacts like organic pollution, including agricultural runoff and sewage; damage from bottom-scraping trawls; and intensive traditional fishing along coral reefs. Just 4 percent of the seas are still pristine. |
www.nytimes.com |
"Ocean ‘Dead Zones’ on the Rise" NY Times. August 14, 2008. "Coastal oceans are being starved of oxygen at an alarming rate, researchers are reporting, with vast stretches of water along the seafloor depleted of oxygen to the point that they can barely sustain marine life." |
| The oceans are the world's largest carbon sink, absorbing 2 billion tonnes of carbon every year. www.physorg.com |
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| Plastics in our Oceans: | |
www.algalita.org |
Algalita's research team is examining both the scope of plastic contamination and the implications this pollution has on the food chain. The focus of Algalita's current research includes the prevalence and quantification of plastic debris, biological impact on marine life, and the desorption of plastic toxins into the ambient ocean water. |
www.ted.com |
Algalita Marine Research Foundation's Capt. Charles Moore- first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - an endless floating waste of plastic trash. Now he's drawing attention to the growing, choking problem of plastic debris in our seas. TED Video. Feb 2009. *** |
www.junkraft.blogspot.com |
Junk Raft Blog. Documenting a 3 month voyage on a plastic bottle raft, crossing the Pacific- from LA to Hawaii. "We’ve collected 10 ocean surface samples using our marine debris trawl, managed to snatch a few large pieces of plastic debris that floated under us, and caught fish with stomachs filled with particles of plastic. Plastic is forever, and it’s everywhere." |
| Pollution: | |
www.whoi.edu |
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Pollution reports, papers, info. *** |
www.nap.edu |
National Academies. "Tackling Marine Debris in the 21st Century" Sept 2008. |
www.ncseonline.org |
National Council for Science and the Environment. CRS Report for Congress "Oil Spills in U.S. Coastal Waters: Background, Governance, and Issues for Congress" 5-Feb-2008. PDF. |
www.ncseonline.org |
National Council for Science and the Environment. CRS Report for Congress "Cruise Ship Pollution: Background, Laws and Regulations, and Current Issues" 2-May-2008. PDF. |
www.publicintegrity.org |
"Public Health Implications of Hazardous Substances in the Twenty-Six U.S. Great Lakes- Areas of Concern" Center for Public Integrity. An independent review panel found last week that the Center’s Great Lakes Danger Zones project was based on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that used insufficient data. |
www.unep-wcmc.org |
'In Dead Water: Merging of climate change with pollution, over-harvest, and infestations in the world's fishing grounds" United Nations Environment Program- 2008. In this report, the locations of the most productive fishing grounds in the World - from shallow, coastal waters to the deep and high seas - are compared to projected scenarios of climate change, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, intensity of fisheries, land-based pollution, increase of invasive species infestations and growth in coastal development. PDF. |
www.oceanconservancy.org |
Ocean Conservancy. National Marine Debris Monitoring Program (NMDMP) an experiment designed to standardize marine debris data collection in the United States using a scientifically valid protocol to determine marine debris status and trends. See data tables at end of report for list of items collected. |
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