State of the Oceans — Log 55
YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY
WHALES
Back-to-back big discoveries about humpback whales this week. First, some great news: humpback whales that frequent the southwest Atlantic have recovered from the brink of extinction and are now reaching numbers not seen since whaling started in the early 20th century. Before commercial hunting, the global population was about 27,000. Today, there are now an estimated 25,000 whales, meaning they have recovered 90% of their numbers, a study has found. At one point in the mid-50s there were as few as 450 of the animals left, but now scientists say they should reach pre-whaling levels in the next 10 years.
Next up, a separate team found the first concrete evidence of humpbacks using their pectoral fins to herd fish into their mouths. Since as far back as the 1930s, researchers have theorized that the species deployed their extra-long fins to corral prey, but it was a difficult hypothesis to prove; from the wrong vantage point, it can be hard to tell what the whales are doing as they thrash about in the water. Now, using drones like the team at Parley SnotBot®, researchers have observed this behavior for the first time.
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PLASTIC POLLUTION
A major component of ocean pollution is less devastating and more manageable than usually portrayed, according to a scientific team at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The team found that Polystyrene, one form of which often carries the brand name Styrofoam, breaks down in the ocean much faster than scientists previously thought. Instead of floating in seawater for thousands of years, it likely degrades in centuries or even decades. The study showed that when Polystyrene is exposed to sunlight, it turns into negligible levels of organic carbon and carbon dioxide—which won’t contribute much to marine pollution or the greenhouse gas effect. One co-author noted that while plastic pollution is still a very serious problem, this finding adds “a new thread” to the story.
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MATERIAL REVOLUTION
A team from the Technical University of Munich has created a process that turns algae oil into a new material that’s as hard as steel but only a fraction of the weight. The material, which could be used in planes and cars, takes less energy to produce than traditional building materials like steel, and it also sequesters carbon dioxide. Like trees, algae breathe in CO2 to grow, and this material locks that carbon away in a compact, recyclable fiber. As lead researcher Thomas Brück put it, “You have this very new advanced material where you can actually store atmospheric carbon indefinitely.” He says scaling up will require big investments in algae cultivation – but once that's in place, this new technology could create strong industrial materials that also benefit the climate.
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RENEWABLE ENERGY
Renewable energy in the UK has overtaken fossil fuels for the first time since 1882, when the nation’s inaugural power plant opened. Over the last quarter, renewables provided 40% of the UK’s total electricity needs while fossil fuels made up 39%. Less than a decade ago, fossil fuels provided 80% of the UK’s electricity. Key to this achievement is The Hornsea One project, the biggest offshore wind farm in the world, which should help the nation’s goal of ending its contribution to climate change “altogether” by 2050.
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MARINE CONSERVATION
For years, whale sharks were over-harvested off India’s western coast, but community conservation efforts in the state of Gujarat have begun to revive the iconic species. In 2004, the newly formed Whale Shark Conservation Project (WSCP) partnered with Gujarat’s spiritual leaders. The collaboration’s educational and outreach programs have turned lifelong fishermen into devout whale shark protectors. Since the WSCP’s founding, fishermen have rescued over 700 whale sharks caught in netting.
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