State of the Oceans — Log 86

Jun 14

YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY

This image by Tahnei Roy. Header image by Cristian Palmer

MICROPLASTICS

Microplastics have been found across the oceans, in Arctic snow, and now a landmark study reveals that microplastics are falling from the sky. After a year of collecting samples from 11 U.S. national parks, scientists from Utah State University estimated that over 1,000 metric tons of microplastics - equal to 300 million plastic bottles - settle in these remote areas each year.

Lead author Janice Brahney originally set out to study how dust and nutrients move through the atmosphere, but she shifted focus after realizing that microplastics - which often carry harmful chemicals - were in almost all (98%) of her samples.

“That was a moment of being completely astounded,” Brahney said, “We’re only starting to really scratch the surface of what is in the atmosphere and how it’s moving around. There’s no nook or cranny on the surface of the earth that won’t have microplastics.”

OCEAN CONSERVATION

Despite delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.N. continues to negotiate a treaty that would establish a network of marine protected areas across the high seas. The impetus for this treaty comes from the initiative to conserve 30% of the oceans by 2030, which, scientists say, is necessary to mitigate both climate change and the current extinction crisis. The high seas - open waters beyond any country’s jurisdiction - comprise over two thirds of the global ocean and hold immense value to wildlife and fishermen. Yet, these regions have historically had little-to-no legal protections. “We’re hopeful that the commitment we’re seeing from governments to participate in informal dialogues and webinars means this issue is still important,” one advocate said, “Hopefully, it paves the way towards a more successful negotiating session when the time comes.”

DEAD ZONES

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization have predicted the Gulf of Mexico’s annual low-oxygen area or “dead zone” will be larger than average in 2020 - about the size of Delaware and Connecticut combined. Every summer, the dead zone re-appears when fertilizers from America’s farms flow down the Mississippi River watershed into the Gulf. The excess nutrients in these fertilizers promote large algae blooms, which, in turn, deplete the water’s oxygen as they decompose. Around the world, dead zones are often fatal for marine life and devastating for fishermen. As one scientist noted, dead zones are also a reminder of the connection between land and sea: “There’s water quality problems in the Midwest and there’s water quality issues in the Gulf of Mexico, and it’s something we should pay attention to.”

EXPLORATION

On Sunday, Dr. Kathy Sullivan, 68, became the first person to walk in space and dive to the deepest point on Earth. In 1978, NASA hired Dr. Sullivan among its first group of female astronauts. In 1984, she became the first American woman to walk in space. She served as the tenth administrator of NOAA. And with a 35,810-foot dive into the Mariana Trench, she has pushed humanity’s limit on both frontiers. At the surface, the first thing Dr. Sullivan and her dive partner Victor Vescovo did was call their colleagues at the International Space Station. “As a hybrid oceanographer and astronaut,” she said, “This was an extraordinary day, a once in a lifetime day, seeing the moonscape of the Challenger Deep and then comparing notes with my colleagues on the ISS about our remarkable reusable inner-space outer-spacecraft.”

RENEWABLE ENERGY

This week, the first major offshore wind farm in the U.S. reached a key milestone as the federal government published its initial environmental review of the project. If approved, the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind farm will be located fifteen miles off Martha’s Vineyard and supply power to 400,000 homes in Massachusetts. In 2019, Vineyard Winds signed a joint agreement with three conservation organizations that ensures its development will limit impacts on the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. While a formal announcement is forthcoming, the federal government may open an additional boating lane to enable easy transit from ports to fishing grounds. In a statement, Vineyard Winds said the company was eager to work with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the project’s many stakeholders.