Sunday 28 November 2010

Barrier Reef Not Looking So Great - The Sydney Morning Herald


photo credit The Sydney Morning Herald


That's bleached (read: effectively dead) coral, and that pretty much sums it up.

Ocean acidity caused by carbon emissions has been frequenting the news lately, but what does that mean for the Great Barrier Reef off Australia?

"If people's CO2 emissions continue as they have, the future of the reef is very grim. I would suggest that coral reefs will be highly altered and perturbed ecosystems by 2050 if we do not make a massive effort to curb our emissions. The findings back up much of the previous research that finds ocean acidification will have serious impacts on reefs," says Dr. David Kline, a researcher monitoring experimental sites based of predicted future CO2 levels.

Full article here (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Thursday 25 November 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

You know what I'm thankful for? Sharks.

Please enjoy this silly Thanksgiving video!


photo credit YouTube & djbunnyboy


Video here (YouTube user djbunnyboy)

Saturday 13 November 2010

Baby Dolphin Rescued by Tourists - Washington Post


photo credit Miguel Rojo, AFP & Getty Images


I just couldn't get to this story fast enough, and you've probably already seen it...But how can I not make a post about this?

A baby river dolphin was found injured by tourists in Punta Colorada, Uruguay and nursed back to health at Rescate Fauna Marina.

Enjoy these adorable photos!

Full article and photos here (Washington Post)

Thursday 11 November 2010

Whales Found Dead on Donegal Beach - BBC


photo credit BBC


Sad news from Ireland.

Thirty-three pilot whales have been found dead on Rutland Island off the coast of County Donegal. This is one of the biggest mass deaths of whales in Ireland.

Says Eimear McGee, a respondent: "They're a very strong social group... so the sick and the healthy died here together."

Both illness and Royal Navy sonar exercises are suspect.

Full article here (BBC)

Monday 8 November 2010

Oil Spill Panel: White House Blocked Federal Scientists from Releasing Worst-Case Scenario for Gulf Disaster - Huffington Post

Knew it.

"The Obama administration blocked efforts by government scientists to tell the public just how bad the Gulf oil spill could become and committed other missteps that raised questions about its competence and candor during the crisis, according to a commission appointed by the president to investigate the disaster."

Oh shit, son. Looks like you caught...yourself? Nice one.

Remember when they said most of the oil was gone?

"...The analysis never said it was gone, according to the commission. It said it was dispersed, dissolved or evaporated – meaning it could still be there."

And guess what? It was.

"By initially underestimating the amount of oil flow and then, at the end of the summer, appearing to underestimate the amount of oil remaining in the Gulf, the federal government created the impression that it was either not fully competent to handle the spill or not fully candid with the American people about the scope of the problem," the report says.

You know, this is really the kind of thing that pisses me off. How can it be okay to lie to an entire country about the worst environmental disaster in its history? Why do people think it's alright to do these things? Shouldn't the people who live there KNOW the extent and the dangers that came with the disaster? Yeah, BP; yeah, Obama...you fucked up. But goddamn admit your mistake and tell the truth so we can all figure out what the hell to do about the problem ASAP. I mean really, if you lie about a problem does it go away? No.

Obviously, they're saying this none of this censoring ever happened now.

Grow up. Damn.

Full article here (Huffington Post)