Health of the Oceans:
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www.physorg.com
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"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.
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www.nytimes.com
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"Rapid Growth Found in Oxygen-Starved Ocean ‘Dead
Zones’" NY Times article- 8-15-2008.
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ehjournal.net
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Wood's Hole. Proceedings of the Centers for Oceans and Human
Health Investigators Meeting 24–27 April 2007.
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www.nytimes.com
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"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.
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www.nytimes.com
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"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.
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www.nytimes.com
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"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."
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The oceans are the world's largest carbon sink, absorbing 2 billion tonnes of carbon every year.
www.physorg.com/news135820173.html
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Plastics in our Oceans:
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www.algalita.org
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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.
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www.ted.com
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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. ***
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www.junkraft.blogspot.com
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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."
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Pollution:
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www.whoi.edu
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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Pollution reports,
papers, info. ***
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www.nap.edu
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National Academies. "Tackling Marine Debris in the 21st
Century" Sept 2008.
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www.ncseonline.org
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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.
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www.ncseonline.org
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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.
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www.publicintegrity.org
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"Public Health Implications of Hazardous Substances in the
Twenty-Six U.S. Great Lakes- Areas of Concern" Center for Public
Integrity- review of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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www.unep-wcmc.org
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'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.
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