Migrants to Islands & more– 15th Aug 2023

Ahoy from Tibidabo! This is Rorshok’s Ocean Update from the 15th of August twenty twenty-three A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in salt water

On Sunday, the 6th of August, British representatives anonymously reported to the national press that undocumented migrants might be deported to Ascension Island, if the current plan to send people to Rwanda fails. Ascension Island is an overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, located six thousand km (or three thousand seven hundred and thirty miles) away from Europe. Suella Braverman, member of the Conservatory party, proposed to fly migrants to Rwanda in January, as a deterrent for the arrival of undocumented migrants, but the Court of Appeal declared it illegal in June due to the inadequate asylum system in Rwanda. British officials are now considering alternative isolated locations in the Channel Islands, Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia, and Morocco. Now, fifteen undocumented migrants are hosted in Portland, south of England, in Bibby Stockholm barge, waiting for their claims, such as asylum requests, to be processed. They could stay in the barge for up to nine months.

Still on migrants. Forty-one migrants have died off Lampedusa Island, in Italy, due to a shipwreck. The only four survivors were among the only fifteen wearing a lifejacket. They reached Lampedusa on Wednesday, the 9th of August, and reported that the ride started from Sfax, in Tunisia, on Thursday, the 3rd of August. A large wave flipped the boat and all the migrants ended up in the sea. Among the dead migrants, there were three children.

Talking about large waves. A recent study found that waves are getting bigger and stronger over the years. Scientists say a big wave is one that is four meters (or thirteen feet) tall or above. Peter Bromirski and his team, from the university’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, worked on data collected for over a period of ninety years. They found out that most waves on the California Coast have grown around thirty centimeters (or twelve inches) since nineteen seventy. Interestingly, scientists believe global warming also started in nineteen seventy, which might prove that climate change is responsible for the waves’ growth. Waves can now cause serious damage to coasts, buildings, and roads.

Still on climate change. Scientists warned of the recent extreme events affecting Antarctica. A team of experts from the UK’s University of Exeter studied the impact of climate change on the continent’s biodiversity, ocean, glaciers, and weather. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science, reported that the lowest extent of sea ice in the Southern Ocean – defined as a “one-in-7.5 million-year” event - is causing fifty-eight meters (or 190 feet) of global sea level rise, creating significant damage for the marine life.

A counter-trend news story on plastic polluting our oceans. A new study suggests that the amount of plastic in the water is less than scientists thought. According to a study conducted by a team of researchers from Utrecht University, in the Netherlands, pieces of plastic bigger than twenty-five millimeters (or one inch) are over 95% of all the plastics in the oceans, but the amount of microplastics measuring less than five millimeters (or 0.2 inches) is relatively lower than expected. Finally, the total amount of all kinds of plastics in the oceans is much lower than previously thought. Having most of the plastics in bigger pieces will ease the process of clean-up since the plastics will be floating on the surface and they will be easy to catch.

Moving on to the digital world. The Internet needs to find sustainable energy sources, and the perfect candidate is the ocean currents’ energy. Ocean currents have a huge amount of kinetic energy that can provide a constant and renewable source of power. The idea of using the ocean’s energy to power internet devices is a way of responding to the increasing demand for energy in the digital infrastructure sector. Researchers all over the world are currently studying how to transform this kinetic energy into usable electricity. The environmental impact of harnessing ocean currents is most likely going to be minimal.

In other news, shippers in the Panama Canal are currently rearranging Asian shipments because of the prolonged reduced operational capacity in force. As mentioned in previous episodes, the Panama Canal Authority has put different measures in effect until the end of the year due to the El Niño weather phenomenon that brought an unprecedented drought. Shippers are now moving back from the US east coast to the west coast, and considering different options as Panama congestion is progressing. The canal’s administrators are concerned about the consequences the Canal is paying because of climate change and are looking for alternative solutions to make shipments across the country.

From Panama to New Zealand. On Wednesday, the 9th of August, The country decided to triple the marine protection coverage of the Hauraki Gulf. The aim of this measure is to protect the fragile ecosystem of the gulf, where marine life and seabird populations are endangered. In the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill there are also nineteen new protection areas, and it prohibits bottom trawling and any other practices that can harm the sea floor. However, the Māori indigenous people can still follow their customary practices in the area.

And from New Zealand to the United States. The White House has chosen a professor from the University of Hawai’i to serve as a member of the Ocean Research Advisory Panel to provide recommendations on ocean policy. Professor Kawika Winter is a biocultural ecologist at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology and director of the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Still in Hawaii. A distant hurricane hit the city of Lahaina on Hawaii's Maui Island and its winds fanned wildfires. To protect themselves from the fires and the smoke Maui residents jumped into the Pacific Ocean, looking for shelter into the waters. The fire started on Tuesday, the 8th of August. At least fifty-three people died, and thousands evacuated the area, while more than 270 structures have been damaged or destroyed. At least twenty people suffered serious burns. US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency on Thursday, the 10th of August.

In other news, on Monday, the 7th of August, a shark bit the left thigh of a sixty-five-year-old woman while she was swimming off a New York City beach called Rockaway Beach. Officials reported that this is the first case of shark attacks on the area in decades. The bite of the shark removed a part of the flesh from the woman’s leg, leaving a wide and deep wound. The bite mark suggests that the woman could have been attacked by a juvenile white shark, a bull shark, or a sandbar shark. The day after the accident, authorities banned swimming on Rockaway Beach. Forty kilometers (or 25 miles) further east, on Long Island, officials spotted a group of sharks and closed parts of Jones Beach. Sharks are getting closer to the coasts due to a growing population of bait fish. Despite this episode, shark bites are still considered very rare on New York’s shoreline.

Closing with water sports enthusiasts disturbing marine life in Sunderland, England. On Wednesday, the 9th of August, wildlife authorities and the police held a meeting at Roker Pier to educate and raise awareness on disturbing marine life, especially dolphins, while practicing water sports in the harbor. Getting close to these wild animals might interfere with their natural behavior, such as hunting and mating.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

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