State of the Oceans — Log 80
YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY
Images: NASA
PLASTIC POLLUTION
Small pieces of plastic have been detected in sea ice in Antarctica for the first time. Microplastics have previously been discovered in Antarctica’s surface waters, sediment and snow, but the new discovery could mean the region’s krill – which feed on algae from sea ice – may be more exposed to the plastic than believed. Some 96 pieces of plastic less than 5mm wide were found in an analysis of the ice core that was drilled in 2009 and had been stored in Hobart, Tasmania. The study found 14 different kinds of plastic, and on average about 12 pieces of plastic were found per litre of water.
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COVID-19
As the world scrambles to contain the spread of the virus, many economic activities have ground to a halt, leading to marked reductions in air pollution. With the skies clearing, researchers are getting an unprecedented chance to help answer one of climate science’s thorniest open questions: the impact of atmospheric aerosols. Since it’s usually impossible to ‘turn off’ these emissions, scientists are racing to study the difference a clean slate makes. Also this week, researchers in Florida say that restrictions keeping humans and harmful waste off beaches are having a beneficial effect on the numbers of endangered leatherback sea turtles in the state.
‘STINGING’ WATER
You know that stingy, tingly feeling you sometimes get when when swimming, snorkelling or diving? Scientists have at last pinned down the cause. When certain jellyfish release mucus, it contains microscopic structures called “cassiosomes.” These look like popcorn but function like miniature grenades. Each is armed with little harpoon-like structures for stinging – and hair-like structures for movement. When the mucus is released, the cassiosomes spin through the water with the ability to kill prey, sting humans and maintain their structure for up to 10 days.
CORAL REEFS
With a lot of recent focus on the mass bleaching event affecting the Great Barrier Reef, a new paper argues that ocean deoxygenation could actually be the biggest threat to coral reef survival – even more than warming sea temperatures and acidification. Oxygen in the world’s oceans has decreased by 2% since the middle of the last century, due largely to climate change, agricultural runoff and human waste. A growing body of work examines deoxygenation in the open ocean, but little research has been done on the effects of decreased oxygen on coastal coral reefs systems in tropical environments, and this new research begins filling that gap.
OIL SPILLS
We’ve previously explored how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was worse than initially believed. Now, as America marks ten years since its worst ever oil rig disaster, the full cost is becoming clearer. Initially BP denied the oil reached Mexico, claiming the ocean current propelled the huge spill in the opposite direction. However, fishermen and Mexican scientists knew this wasn’t true – and communities there still haven’t received a cent in compensation. A recent study showed that deep ocean oil was substantial enough and toxic enough to destroy 50% of the marine life it encountered.
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