OCEAN: The PALM Summit & more – 23rd July 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 23rd of July twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

Doctor Rashid Sumaila, University Killam Professor and Canada Research Chair in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics at the University of British Columbia, argues that African countries should participate more actively in the discussions at the International Seabed Authority regarding deep-sea mining regulations. The potential short-term economic benefits don’t make up for the severe ecological damages that deep-sea mining could cause, such as seafloor habitat disruption and toxin dispersion, according to research. As he highlighted in his article published by Al Jazeera on Friday the 19th, despite calls from various countries and organizations for a moratorium until more research is done, no African nations currently support this pause. He finally invited Africa to consider short-term profits against long-term implications on global marine ecosystems.

Talking about deep-sea mining, Gandharva Mahina Hou Ross, a Hawaiian immersion program teacher from Molokaʻi, recently joined the Ocean Exploration Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the ocean, as a Science Communication Fellow. Ross set sail aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus to explore deep ocean biodiversity near Jarvis Island, in the South Pacific Ocean, on Saturday the 20th, with twelve other Fellows from Oceania and North America. He traveled in remotely operated vehicle dives and produced live broadcasts to keep his audience informed. The expedition will end on Tuesday the 6th of August. The Ocean Exploration Trust aims to contribute to scientific knowledge and conservation through its twenty twenty-four expeditions across Hawaii, American Samoa, US Pacific Remote Islands, Palau, and Canada.

Still on the Pacific Ocean, during the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (or PALM) summit, Pacific island nations and Japan communicated, on Thursday the 18th, their strong opposition to any attempts to change the status quo through force or coercion, indirectly addressing China's rising influence. After the three-day summit in Tokyo, Japan, they released a statement stressing the importance of a peaceful and stable Asia-Pacific region and voiced concerns about rapid military expansions. The joint statement called for a free and open maritime order based on the rule of law and committed to enhancing defense exchanges. The PALM summit included representatives from the eighteen Pacific Islands Forum members, Australia, and New Zealand. Wanna know more about the PALM summit? Check out the Japan Update with the link in the show notes!

From the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. Authorities found Sarah Packwood and her husband, Brett Clibbery, dead on a life raft near Sable Island, near Nova Scotia, Canada, almost six weeks after they went missing. According to a recent BBC article, the couple left Nova Scotia on Tuesday the 11th of June in their eco-friendly yacht Theros, aimed to sail to the Azores, in Portugal, planning to arrive on Tuesday the 2nd of July. They went missing on Tuesday the 18th of June. An ongoing investigation suggests a cargo ship might have collided with their yacht, then the couple probably abandoned their yacht and died before their bodies washed up on Sable Island on Friday the 12th. The couple, known for promoting sustainable travel, documented their journey on their YouTube channel, Theros Adventures.

Moving on, July has seen an unexpected lull in tropical activity across the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico, despite predictions of a busy tropical season. In spite of forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting up to twenty-five named storms and thirteen hurricanes for twenty twenty-four, only two named storms and Hurricane Beryl have appeared so far, with the season starting slowly due to a large heat dome over Mexico and Central America. After that, the basin remains relatively calm. This quiet period likely results from Saharan dust, which has likely absorbed sunlight, reducing ocean heating and hindering storm formation, while sea temperatures remain above average. As the Saharan dust begins to clear, tropical activity could increase again by September, the typical peak of the hurricane season.

Let’s have a look at the Indian Ocean. On Saturday the 20th, firefighters from the Indian Coast Guard tackled a major blaze aboard the Maersk Frankfurt, a containership chartered to Danish carrier Maersk, off the coast of Karwar, India. The ship, which was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, reported explosions and a fire on its front deck. Maersk confirmed the incident but could not assess the full extent of the damage. The Coast Guard deployed three firefighting vessels for twelve hours to control the blaze and dispatched an additional vessel expected by Sunday the 21st. Coast Guard aircraft conducted aerial assessments and search and rescue operations. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement manages the ship, built in twenty twenty-four, and Tokei Kaiun of Japan owns it.

In other news, on Thursday the 18th, Yemen’s Houthi group announced plans to extend their naval attacks to the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea to support Gaza. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the Houthi leader, declared in a message broadcasted by Al-Masirah TV that their activities in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden have been effective in targeting Israeli, American, and British interests, impacting the countries’ economies. The Houthis have been attacking Israeli-linked ships in solidarity with Gaza. In response, the US launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to counter the Houthi threats.

Still on Thursday the 18th, the journal Reuters reported that the Suez Canal’s revenue dropped nearly twenty-five percent in the past financial year due to a shift by some shippers towards alternative routes to avoid Houthis’ attacks. Osama Rabie, the head of the Suez Canal Authority, noted that revenue fell from almost ten billion US dollars to roughly seven billion US dollars. The number of ships using the canal also decreased from almost 26,000 to a bit more than 20,000. Ships have avoided passage through the Canal because of the Houthis since November twenty twenty-three. The Suez Canal remains a crucial source of foreign currency for Egypt, which has sought to increase its revenues through expansion efforts.

Let’s sail to the Arctic Ocean, where the University of Oulu is holding the ICEBERG EU-funded project. The project addresses climate change and pollution in the Arctic from twenty twenty-four to twenty twenty-six. During July and August, researchers from GEOMAR and other institutions are using the vessel POLARSTERN to study microplastics, pollutants, and their effects on Arctic ecosystems and communities. Their focus is on areas like Svalbard, Greenland, and Iceland. The project also engages local and indigenous communities in monitoring and developing solutions. The goal is to improve resilience, manage pollution better, and support the EU’s efforts to restore ocean health.

From one Pole to the other. A recent study in the journal Nature Communications reveals that submarine canyons in East Antarctica play a crucial role in transporting the Circumpolar Deep Water –which is warm, salty, and dense water that circulates around Antarctica within the Southern Ocean– onto the continental shelf, threatening well-known glaciers like Totten and Ninnis. Researchers discovered that these canyons have sediment deposits indicating ongoing southward currents that carry warm water, which increases melting under the glaciers. This heat transport makes the glaciers more vulnerable, possibly speeding up their melting and rising sea levels.

Let’s wrap this update up with watersports. The twenty twenty-four 49er, FX, and the Nacra 17 Junior World Championships in Vilagarcía de Arousa, Spain, concluded with an unexpected shift. In the 49erFX class, Italy's Sofia Giunchiglia and Giulia Schio clinched the title after Germany's Katharina Schwachhofer and Elena Stoltze were disqualified for an early start. Despite winning on the water, their on-course side score handed Italy the victory. Poland's Gabriela Czapska and Hanna Rajchert secured bronze. In the 49er class, Malta's Richard Schulteis and Yoenn Bertin triumphed, holding off strong performances from New Zealand and Germany. Belgium's Arthur de Johnghe and Janne Ravelingien soared to silver in the Nacra 17 class, while Kwinten and Lieselotte Borghijs secured the overall lead.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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