OCEAN: Deep-sea Mining & more – 4th Jun 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 4th of June twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

The environmental organization World Wildlife Fund, or WWF, is taking the Norwegian government because in January it voted in favor of allowing deep-sea mining in its waters. The WWF said that the executive did not properly assess the impact of this decision, violating Norwegian law. It also said that there were too many unknowns about deep-sea ecosystems and mining's effects. Despite warnings, the government proceeded, saying mining could help with climate goals. However, scientists warn of environmental risks like habitat damage and geological hazards. The EU Parliament also expressed concerns about Norway's decision.

On another note, the French navy said on Monday the 27th that they seized two and a half tons of cocaine from a Venezuelan fishing boat in the Atlantic after receiving a tip from the customs department. A helicopter from the frigate Ventose landed a team on the boat about 1,500 kilometers (more than 900 miles) northeast of Martinique. Venezuelan authorities received and handled the crew and the cocaine.

This is not the first seizure this month, with the French navy intercepting almost 2,500 kilograms of cocaine on the 2nd and the 9th of May. The navy has seized over twelve tons of narcotics this year, highlighting the Caribbean's growing role in cocaine trafficking from South to North America and Europe.

In other news, NASA is conducting a mission to study the factors influencing Arctic sea ice melt. The Arctic Radiation Cloud Aerosol Surface Interaction Experiment involves two aircraft flying over the northern Arctic Ocean, near Greenland. Starting on Tuesday, the 28th of May, the planes began collecting data on clouds, aerosols, and sea ice. The mission aims to measure how these elements interact and affect ice melting, using both airborne and satellite data. The first mission phase is tracking the start of the melt season during May and June, while the second phase will be observing late summer and the start of the freezing in July and August.

What’s new in the Panama Canal? The Panama Canal Authority has increased the maximum allowed draught to forty-five feet (almost fourteen meters) ahead of schedule, as the severe drought is finally coming to an end after more than a year. Originally planned for Saturday the 15th of June, the Authority moved up the adjustment due to expected rainfall in the Panama Canal Watershed and current water levels in Gatun Lake. Water levels in Gatun and Alhajuela Lakes have risen above twenty twenty-three levels since Sunday, the 26th of May.

This move wants to boost the Canal's capacity, with daily transits in the Panamax locks increasing from seventeen to twenty-four and in the Neopanamax locks from seven to eight. This will raise the total daily vessel transits to thirty-two. The Canal Authority is still closely monitoring weather conditions to adapt operations accordingly.

As we talked about in previous shows, Houthi rebels’ attacks on ships traveling the Red Sea are forcing vessels to reroute their boats. The reroute forces them to take longer journeys that raise significantly their carbon dioxide emissions. This adds hundreds of kilometers to each journey, which translates into higher emissions.

Hundreds of ships with heavy fuel oil were rerouted to Cape of Good Hope since last year, when the Houthi rebels began their attacks on the Suez Canal.

The tracking platform ShipsGo calculated that more than 600 vessels have been rerouted since the start of the attacks in October twenty twenty-three. Arsenio Dominguez, the International Maritime Organization chief, said the reroutings are not planned, and the additional carbon dioxide release is “not emitted because they want to.”

Moving on, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring a tropical disturbance in the Eastern Pacific, a few hundred miles off Central America's coast. It has a low chance of developing as it is moving slowly westward, away from Mexico. The country’s National Weather Service expects up to eighteen named storms, with around eight of them becoming hurricanes and a few reaching major status. This follows the start of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, which took place on Wednesday, the 15th of May.

The twenty twenty-three hurricane season saw twenty named storms but few landfalls. Experts warn of increased hurricane activity this year due to changing climate patterns.

And now some news on wildlife. A silky shark named Genie set a new record by swimming 17,000 miles (more than 27,000 kilometers) across the Pacific Ocean. Researchers first saw her near Wolf Island in the Galapagos Marine Reserve in July twenty twenty-one, and then tracked her for almost 550 days. This journey, which included two major westward migrations, significantly surpassed the previous record by almost six times. The biologist Doctor Pelayo Salinas de León, the leader of the research, emphasized the importance of understanding shark migration to develop effective conservation strategies. Silky sharks, listed as vulnerable due to overfishing, face significant risks in international waters.

Scientists are also tracking emperor penguins in Antarctica to learn what affects their numbers. Based on a study published in the journal Nature Communications on Wednesday the 29th of May, a team of scientists from Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen Nürnberg (or FAU) created a new way to predict the number of breeding pairs and chicks. They use satellite images and penguin behavior to get more accurate counts, even with challenges like low light and penguin movement. The FAU doctoral candidate Alexander Winterl, the lead author of the study, said this new technique provides accurate data that is crucial for protecting penguins. If greenhouse gas emissions don't decrease, over 90% of emperor penguin colonies could disappear by two thousand and a hundred.

In some updates on polar bears. Polar Bears International data shows a steady decline in sea ice cover, impacting polar bears' habitat and hunting patterns.

The warming Atlantic Ocean is causing concerns in northern Manitoba, Canada, as a marine heat wave from last summer might lead to one of the earliest ice-free dates on record for Hudson Bay. Experts note significant changes, with thinner ice and earlier ice breakup in recent years. Scientists warn of potential ecosystem disruptions, with seagrass die-offs and prolonged periods of bear fasting due to extended ice-free seasons. Despite challenges, the polar bear population seems to be coping well.

Saturday the 8th marks World Ocean Day! Many countries will hold different activities, workshops and events to celebrate the day. For instance, if you are in Spain, you can check the Deep Clean Barcelona 2.0 event and clean the Sant Sebastián beach.

Closing this edition with watersports. The Rolex Middle Sea Race, traditionally the last offshore event of the season in the Mediterranean Sea, is set to host the 45th race this year. The event, which starts on the 19th of October from Grand Harbour, Valletta, will feature yachts from Europe and Asia. There will be a mix of newcomers and seasoned regulars, with the headliner being Seng Huang Lee's Scallywag, a more than thirty meters (or 100 feet) Dovell-design yacht from Hong Kong. Participants can register until the 20th of September.

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

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