State of the Oceans — Log 67
YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY
Above photo from NOAA Fisheries, by Kaylyn McCoy. Header photo by Jeremy Bishop.
CORALS
According to new research, a rock-like seaweed called coralline algae could help protect coral reefs from climate change. Growing on top of corals all over the world, coralline algae acts like a cap that binds reefs together and reduces erosion. During lab experiments, a research team from Victoria University in New Zealand found that this seaweed may also possess some resistance to ocean acidification – a result of the seas absorbing excess carbon.
While further work is needed, the study’s authors believe that this super seaweed may one day fortify coral reefs against warmer, more acidic waters. As one author put it: “This research could provide a starting point for growing coral species under ‘assisted evolution’ that could be more resistant to climate change.”
CLIMATE CHANGE
Hundreds of thousands of fish are reported dead as rainfall has carried “tonnes and tonnes” of bushfire debris into at least one major waterway in New South Wales. Ash and mud have thickened the Macleay River, making it impossible for fish to pass water over their gills and absorb oxygen. At the same time, the nutrient-rich ash has also boosted bacterial growth, which reduces oxygen. Borrowing pumps and hoses from firefighters, residents have tried to aerate the Macleay, but this noble effort is “like pissing into a 40 kilometer an hour nor’easter,” said one local fisherman. “This river is finished for generations. This will be happening in every east coast river that’s been hit by bushfires.”
PLASTIC POLLUTION
The Chinese government has announced plans to drastically reduce single-use plastics. In major cities, the import of plastic waste and non-biodegradable plastic bags will be banned by the end of this year, and other plastics will be banned by 2020. Over the next five years, similar rules will go into effect nationwide. In China – where 75% of plastic ends up in landfills or “out in the open” – previous efforts to curb plastic pollution have failed. However, the Chinese government is confident that a more organized approach will yield success. An explanation of the new rules states, “There needs to be stronger comprehensive planning and a systemic rollout to clean up plastic pollution.”
MARINE LIFE
How did primordial ooze make the leap from single-celled bacteria to complex multicellular life? For generations, scientists have wrestled with this fundamental question of evolution, but researchers investigating Japan’s depths may finally have an answer. Since 2006, biologist Masaru Nou has used deep-sea submersibles to collect uni-cellular bacteria from the group Asgard archaea. After extensive observation and genetic analyses, Nou showed that these microbes are the closest living relatives of Earth’s first multicellular organisms and perhaps the intermediary between simple and complex life. “We were able to obtain the first complete genome of this group,” Nou said, “and conclusively show that these archaea possess many genes that had been thought to be only found in eukaryotes.”
OCEAN WARMING
In 2013, climate change created “The Blob” – an anomalous patch of warm water in the Pacific – and scientists are still grappling with the consequences. A new study documents the death of 62,000 seabirds that washed ashore along North America’s West Coast between 2015 and 2016. The study focused on one seabird called murre, which preys on the same species as groundfish, such as cod and pollock. The Blob increased food demands for groundfish populations, which, in turn, depleted the murres’ own food supply. According to the study, this is the single largest seabird die-off in recorded history. One researcher said, “Since [groundfish] eat many of the same prey, this competition likely compounded the food supply for murres, leading to mass mortality events from starvation.”
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