State of the Oceans — Log 78
YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY
This image by Nirmal Rajendharkumar, header image by Michael Olsen
OCEAN CONSERVATION
A landmark new paper has outlined a pathway for the U.N. to establish a network of marine protected areas across the high seas. While the open ocean is often thought of as empty, this report conclusively shows that it is teeming with biodiversity hotspots in need of protection.
For decades, the U.N. has grappled with the management of international waters, which is made difficult by jurisdiction issues and a lack of scientific data. With over 22 billion data points that cover everything from climate change to commercial value, this study provides the long-awaited evidence needed to conserve the high seas.
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CORALS
Scientists are searching for ways to save the Great Barrier Reef, which is experiencing its third mass bleaching event in the last five years. The Australian Institute of Marine Science reviewed 160 potential intervention methods—40 of which, experts say, hold promise. A leading strategy is to promote the growth of more durable species. As one author put it, “Not all corals are created equal.” Introducing lab-grown corals could help ensure that heat-resistant genes are passed on in the wild. Other mitigation strategies aim to limit marine pollution and predation by crown of thorns sea stars. However, global heating causes corals to bleach, and experts acknowledge that the only true solution is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Scientists may have underestimated the oceans’ ability to store carbon and fight climate change, according to a new report by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. What these experts reveal is that the euphotic zone – a sunlit area where photosynthesis and carbon capture occur – is located at different depths all over the world. Taking that variation into account shows that phytoplankton may absorb twice the amount of atmospheric carbon than previously believed. As one author said, “If you look at the same data in a new way, you get a very different view of the ocean's role in processing carbon, hence its role in regulating climate.”
COVID-19
From China to the Mediterranean, the coronavirus has reduced commercial fishing activity by as much as 80%, which could give stocks much-needed time to recover. As one scientist noted, even a single year without fishing would allow most European white fish to double their populations. Yet, both the U.N.’s Biodiversity Chief and its Head of Environment emphasized that the coronavirus is not an opportunity to celebrate short-lived recoveries but instead a chance to rethink our relationship with nature: “Preserving intact ecosystems will help us reduce the prevalence of some of these diseases. Large-scale deforestation, trade in species, and climate change — all these are drivers of biodiversity loss and also drivers of new diseases.”
DEEP SPACE
In the ocean’s depths, many species have evolved with some form of gigantism. This trend is due to “convergent evolution,” a phenomenon where different species develop the same trait to overcome similar conditions. By the same logic, scientists now speculate that Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, could also be home to large sea life – assuming the moon really has oceans beneath its icy surface. One researcher involved believes the deep sea submersibles could aid the exploration of alien oceans one day: “Orpheus vehicles are going to be the great, great, great, grandmother of whatever goes into the Europan ocean.”
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