50 years ago, 1973's "Soylent Green" depicted a nightmarish future: the oceans are dead, corporations are in control, and many are homeless. Um...
"In 2022, Earth is overpopulated and totally polluted; the natural resources have been exhausted, and the nourishment of the population is provided by Soylent Industries, a company that makes a food consisting of plankton from the oceans. In New York City, when Soylent's member of the board, William R. Simonson, is murdered, apparently by a burglar at the Chelsea Towers West where he lives, efficient Detective Thorn is assigned to investigate the case with his partner Solomon "Sol" Roth. Thorn comes to the fancy apartment and meets Simonson's bodyguard Tab Fielding and the "furniture" (woman that is rented together with the flat) Shirl and the detective concludes that the executive was not a burglary victim but executed. Further, he finds that the Governor Santini and other powerful men want to disrupt and end Thorn's investigation. But Thorn continues his work and discovers a bizarre, disturbing secret of the ingredient used to manufacture Soylent Green."—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A library children's book published in 2020, written by Theresa Emminizer.
What If Sea Urchins Disappeared?
Life Without Animals
"From the fiercest predator to the lowliest plant, every member of an ecosystem is immeasurably important to the survival of their environment. Although they're not regarded as a keystone species, sea urchins play a pivotal role in maintaining healthy marine environments. Without sea #urchins to consume #algae, entire coral reef ecosystems could collapse."
#Florida researchers find ‘high amounts’ of flesh-eating bacteria in #Sargassum
by Dylan Abad, May 30, 2023
"A new study from Florida Atlantic University is uncovering how the seaweed interacts with plastic debris and Vibrio bacteria to create the 'perfect pathogen storm' for beachgoers and marine life.
"Samples collected by FAU revealed that Vibrio pathogens had harnessed the unique ability to 'stick' to #microplastics within the seaweed blob. The findings further showed that some #Vibrio bacteria had an ‘omnivorous’ lifestyle that targeted both plant and animal hosts.
"'Another interesting thing we discovered is a set of genes called ‘zot’ genes, which causes leaky gut syndrome,' said assistant professor Tracy Mincer, Ph.D.
"For instance, if a fish eats a piece of plastic and gets infected by this Vibrio, which then results in a leaky gut and diarrhea, it’s going to release waste nutrients such nitrogen and phosphate that could stimulate Sargassum growth and other surrounding organisms.
"Simply put, the combination of the bacteria and microplastics could be responsible, in part, for the rapid growth of Sargassum."
The cause of these infections has to do with the rise in ocean temperatures (link in comments). This is happening not just in the Caribbean, but the Black Sea and Red Sea (article in comments).
A type of single-celled microorganism associated with coral diseases is to blame
By Anna Gibbs, April 19, 2023
"#Scuticociliates are found across the world’s oceans. Given their ubiquity, it’s unknown what conditions may have allowed P. apodigitiformis to become so detrimental to the urchins. It’s also unclear how it causes infection."
Mystery pathogen is stripping sea #urchins of their flesh and turning them to skeletons — and it's spreading fast
A mysterious epidemic that began in the #Mediterranean at the start of the year looks set to wipe out all of the Mediterranean and #RedSea’s urchins, and possibly their #coral reefs too.
By Ben Turner, May 31, 2023
"Researchers spotted the first signs of the urchin plague in the Mediterranean Sea at the beginning of the year, when an invasive species of urchin began falling sick in waters around Greece and Turkey. From there, the disease appears to have spread southward through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea.
"Scientists are unsure of the exact disease causing the mass die-off, but they suspect it is a pathogenic ciliate parasite — a single-celled microorganism — which in 1983 eliminated the Caribbean’s entire sea urchin population. Before the parasite plague, the Caribbean was home to thriving tropical reefs, but since losing the sea urchins the reefs have been smothered by algal blooms that multiplied unchecked, blocking out sunlight and destroying around 90% of the region’s coral.
"The disease was only identified after a second wave hit the Caribbean in 2022, an event which gave scientists a second opportunity to study it.
"'The sea urchins are the reef's gardeners — they feed on the algae and prevent them from taking over and suffocating the corals that compete with them for sunlight,' Bronstein said. 'Unfortunately, these sea urchins no longer exist in the Gulf of Eilat [Aqaba] and are quickly disappearing from constantly expanding parts of the Red Sea further south.'
"The imperilment of the region’s corals is significant on both a local and global level. The Gulf of Aqaba is known for its numerous diving spots and is a popular tourist destination. And because the corals there evolved to high temperatures and salinity over millions of years, they are more resistant to climate change-driven temperature fluctuations that are killing off other coral reefs around the world."
The majority of fish populations in the sea are responding to #GlobalWarming by relocating towards colder waters nearer the north and south poles, according to the latest research on the impact of #ClimateChange on our #oceans.
"Is it too late to halt deep-sea mining? Meet the activists trying to save the seabed - If mining companies are given the go-ahead to exploit the ocean depths, the environmental cost will be devastating. As the clock ticks down to a crucial deadline in July, Michael Segalov (Guardian) reports"
"For almost 30 years, much of what went on at the secretive-sounding International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Jamaica was unreported and scarcely noticed ... There have been allegations of secrecy and interference against its governing body and of legal loopholes being exploited. After discussions chugged along quietly for decades, a growing community of campaigners, scientists and now governments are raising an urgent alarm about what’s happening within these walls. They argue that unless immediate action is taken, it might be too late to halt the devastating environmental and ecological impact of mining the global high seas. Their warning is simple: humanity’s insatiable appetite to plunder the planet for profit might mean some of the Earth’s most untouched corners are exploited before we even understand what it is we risk losing. As Louisa Casson, who is leading Greenpeace’s global campaign to stop deep-sea mining, puts it: “It’s a threat, continental in scale, that until recently nobody was even talking about ...
Regardless, due to a quirk in an ageing international treaty, deep-sea mining might happen in a matter of months after the pulling of a legal lever by a Canadian-owned company and the government of Nauru."
Ocean dangers toot: Some serious earthquake activity over the last two days in the remote South Pacific. #LoyaltyIslands and #NewCaledonia region. Two major, high amplitude tremors, a Tsunami alert for the first, and some aftershocks. It’s only natural that Mother Nature (capitalized with intent) will try to balance a seriously unbalanced Earth, to restore some kind of homeostasis in the face of relentless attack and degradation by greedy, for-profit corporations and corrupt governments full of politicians profiteering for their share. No direct cause-effect implied but you get the point. I read today that Killer Whales, Orcas, are training themselves to attack boats after one was injured in European waters. Enough is enough. Let’s not turn the whole planet against us. #oceans#environment#seas#oceanography#zoology
BREAKING 🔥 Scientists from @ScientistRebellion and artists from @ExtinctionR and "Forfattere Ser Grønt" are occupying the biggest industrial #farming#lobby in #Denmark (Landbrug og Fødevarer) to demand an end to #lobbyism in food production, and an immediate transition away from the destructive, #colonial and undemocratic farming practices that prevail in Denmark, and which are responsible for ~30% of the country's #CO2#emissions. #TheScienceIsClear#BefriJorden (1/n)
Instead, the council is lobbying for #TechnoFixes pretending their hands are tied by a growing population: this a lie. We could feed twice more people with a #plantbased#food system based on #regenerative#agriculture and avoid the #pollution of soils, groundwater & #oceans. (8/n)
The last post about Vietnam experiencing its highest ever recorded temperature of 44.1C - over 111F, reminded me of our oceans having hit their highest warmth in recorded history, that #oceans drive climate, that their heat will decimate marine life, & that oceans release heat over long time frames.
I think it's the endgame of a very long #war by rw pols & their #oil brethren to destabilize all democracies whose courts tell them "no." Russia's won't. #Climate hell breeds chaos, a fascist's bff.
Water pool refugees at lowtide.
I walked on limestone again and saw many of those little water holes with ocean creatures in it, who tried to hide there until the next tide would come in. Look at the sea anemone who is just wrapping herself in. I also wonder if the white underground could be some sort of salt deposit from the salty water. There are moments when I'd really like to be an oceanographer...