Blog Archives

Marine scientists are to create 3D images of the seabed off the north of Scotland to help identify habitats that need conservation.

Waters around Noss Head near Wick and the Southern Trench, a deep channel in the Moray Firth, will be surveyed.

The Scottish government will use the images to inform marine conservation and development policies.

“Acoustic multi-beam” survey techniques will be used create the 3D images in the project, starting on Tuesday.

The Minch and the Sound of Canna, as well as Linnhe, Etive, Leven and Eil lochs will also be surveyed later in the year.

The work, which is funded by Marine Scotland, is being carried out by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the British Geological Survey and the Northern Lighthouse Board as part of the Scottish marine protected area project.

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The tsunami caused by the 11 March Tohoku earthquake in Japan crossed the Pacific and broke off large chunks of ice from Antarctica, a study has shown.

Satellite photos show huge icebergs were created when the tsunami hit West Antarctica’s Sulzberger Ice Shelf.

This caused 125 sq km of ice to break off – or calve – from a shelf front that has remained stable for the past 46 years.

The work, by a US team, is published in the Journal of Glaciology.

The waves generated by the 9.0 Magnitude earthquake in Japan travelled about 13,000km across the Pacific Ocean before reaching the Sulzenberger Ice Shelf, causing ice to break off and float into the sea.

The largest of the icebergs measured 6.5km by 9.5km, (almost the size of Manhattan) and 80m in thickness.

The swell was estimated to have been ju...

Beachgoers are being asked to look out for endangered leatherback turtles which are currently visiting UK waters to feed on the huge numbers of jellyfish.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) wants the public to report any turtles they see during August, the peak time to spot the creatures in UK waters, to see if there are any hotspots for them or areas where conservation measures are needed.

MCS specialists say the turtles are arriving from their nesting grounds in the Caribbean to feed on jellyfish, numbers of which, they believe, are rising, potentially providing more food for the critically endangered species.

Unlike other reptiles, says the MCS, leatherback turtles, which can weigh up to a tonne and grow to three metres (10ft) long, can maintain their own body heat up to 18C warmer t...

There are moves afoot to create a marine park over the Coral Sea to the east of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park because at this stage less than 1% of this area is protected.

Right now the federal government is considering the future of the Coral Sea within Australian waters and Daisy Barham is a Coral Sea Campaigner with the Australian Marine Conservation Society – she says they are bringing the campaign to Gladstone and Rockhampton with free film screenings tonight and tomorrow night.

Smaller squid make up for their diminutive size, and reduced sexual status, by producing bigger sperm.

They produce the outsized sperm in a bid to thwart the chances of larger male squid rivals impregnating females.

While the smaller males are unable to compete with the larger males, their sperm can.

Scientists based in Japan made the discovery studying spear squid, otherwise known as Bleeker’s squid (Loligo bleekeri).

Details are published in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.

Male spear squid employ one of two tactics when seeking to pair with a mate.

Larger males, known as “consorts”, court females by flashing bright displays of colour across their bodies.

They compete with other large males and the winner mates with the female, depositing sperm in a package inside her oviduct.

He t...

‘Killer’ shrimp is the worst non-native invader of England and Wales’ waterways, says the Environment Agency.

Known as Dikerogammarus villosus, it kills native shrimp and young fish.

The Environment Agency’s worst 10 alien invaders include water primrose, giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed which can damage riverbanks and buildings.

The agency said invasive species cost the UK about

China has won the right to explore for minerals in part of the Indian Ocean as the energy-hungry country scours the world for resources to fuel its fast-growing economy, state media said Wednesday.

The International Seabed Authority has approved China’s application to look for polymetallic sulphides — rich in copper, iron, lead, zinc, gold and silver — in the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, the China Daily said.

China is the first country to win such approval in the area that divides the ocean between Africa and Antarctica, it said, citing the government-backed China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRRDA).

“The refined metals from the deposit will help China meet the increasing demand for mineral resources from rapid economic development,” Jin Jiancai, secreta...

The Marine Conservation organisation, Sea Shepherd, has paid a

Scientists have identified the 20 most important regions of the world’s oceans and lakes that are key to ensuring the survival of the planet’s marine mammals such as seals and porpoises.

Their analysis also shows, however, that most of these areas are already under pressure from human impacts such as pollution and shipping.

Marine ecosystems around the world are deteriorating rapidly, according to Sandra Pompa, an ecologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico who led the study, in particular due to habitat degradation, introduction of exotic species and over-exploitation of natural resources.

Many species of marine mammals have experienced severe population depletion and several

Marine areas in Pinar del Rio, in western Cuba, will benefit from an international project funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF), which supports environmental research and initiatives in those areas.

Four protected areas of this western region have been included in the GEF program, which will allocate over five million USD to Cuba in five years.

These areas include the ecological reserve Los Pretiles that is home to populations of manatees, a mammalian endangered species, the San Felipe National Park, islets where seven species of sea turtles nest.

The Guanahacabibes Peninsula, a biosphere reserve, is another site chosen for the implementation of the project that will also include the floral reserve Sabanalamar-San Ubaldo, home to a peculiar forest on white sand, as well as exclusive...