Posts Tagged ‘marine conservation’
Climate, Biodiversity, and Oceans: They’re All Connected
In a world that grows ever warmer and ever more degraded by human activities, scientists and policy makers have watched with unease as the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and the decline of ocean health have reinforced each other in a downward spiral. Each of the three crises makes the other two worse.…
Read MoreNorth Atlantic Right Whales Move One Step Closer to Extinction as Trump Dismantles Protections
Earlier this month, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced that the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) was moved from Endangered to Critically Endangered status on the IUCN Red List.[1] Less than 250 mature whales remain after a decade of continual population decline, with particularly elevated deaths since 2017. These extra…
Read MoreSafeguarding California Seamounts for Generations and Generations to Come
In episode 2 of our California Seamounts Series, viewers experience the rough topography of the seamounts and the incredible marine life that lives there. Like the Sierra Mountains, the seamounts have steep cliffs, valleys, deep gorges, and broad plateaus. These seamounts are havens for life from their base to summit. Scientists believe that seamount…
Read MoreThe California Seamount Series!
Featured Picture: A Dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis sp.) swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Today, we release the first in a series of short videos and multi-media stories about a unique place in U.S. oceans — huge underwater mountains, called seamounts. Rising from the deep, dark seafloor…
Read MoreCalling on Marine Scientists to Support Protecting at least 30% of the Ocean by 2030 (30×30)
By Lance Morgan, President at Marine Conservation Institute There is growing scientific evidence and support for protecting at least 30% of the planet. The 2019 report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlights the dire future of biodiversity on our planet if we do not act decisively now. Seagrass beds,…
Read MoreExplore California’s Seamounts Using Our Interactive Story Map
By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute We invite you to take a trip with us to the unusual, deep underwater mountains off California’s coasts called seamounts. You will tour the California Seamounts, as they are called, using a Story Map (from Esri) that allows viewers to take a virtual, interactive look at a…
Read MoreMystery in The Deep: How Models Can Help Us Understand the Full Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Featured Picture: A host of squat lobsters and brittle stars adorn a large pair of Paramuricea corals at a depth of 3,200 feet in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust and ECOGIG. By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute Given the depth of the spill, it should not be surprising…
Read MoreWho Needs the Deep-Sea, Anyway?
Featured Picture: Life is both weird and beautiful in the deep ocean. Here, a Schaefer’s Anglerfish (Sladenia shaefersi) uses modified fins to walk along the seafloor in search of prey. Photo courtesy of NOAA. By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute The deep sea is so remote that many people are completely unaware of…
Read MoreMalpelo: A Blue Park Exploding with Life
Featured Picture: Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary. Photo courtesy of Ramón Pulido. By Sebastian Nicholls, Blue Parks Ambassador. Surrounded by mangroves that grow on low-lying islands and the mainland coast, the Port of Buenaventura bustles with activity—it’s a gateway to that largest of oceans, the Pacific, and the diverse wildlife that calls the Colombian Pacific…
Read MoreThe Role of Marine Protected Areas in the Fight Against Climate Change
Recently, Amazon CEO and the world’s wealthiest person, Jeff Bezos, pledged $10 billion to fight climate change, which he referred to as “the biggest threat to our planet,” via the creation of the Bezos Earth Fund. The vast opportunities created by such large philanthropic initiatives prompt thoughtful deliberation about the necessary actions to minimize and…
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