OCEAN: Rising Sea Temperatures & more – 26th Nov 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 26th of November twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

According to an Al Jazeera article published on Wednesday the 20th, climate change is largely impacting Pacific Island nations and their ocean. Sea temperatures here are rising three times faster than everywhere else, driving severe marine heatwaves and eroding coastal communities. Despite these challenges, Pacific Islanders are leading with bold initiatives like marine protected areas, which increase fish stocks, boost tourism, and protect biodiversity.

For instance, Samoa’s Marine Spatial Plan, launched in October, aims to protect 30% of its ocean territory by twenty thirty through fully marine-protected areas and community-managed reserves. The main obstacle to these initiatives is funding: Pacific nations urgently need to increase their international financial support.

Unfortunately, the situation is not improving in the North Pacific. According to a study by the NGO Ocean Cleanup published on Tuesday the 19th in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the number of plastic microparticles in the subtropical gyre of the North Pacific Ocean, which hosts the Garbage Patch, often called the plastic continent, is rapidly increasing. This area now contains ten million microparticles per square kilometer, ten times higher than in twenty fifteen.

Laurent Lebreton, the lead researcher at The Ocean Cleanup, emphasized the dual role of their cleanup operations: reducing oceanic plastic pollution while collecting critical data from remote regions. He highlighted the urgency of addressing plastic waste production and disposal to mitigate its environmental impact.

From the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. A study published on Wednesday the 20th in the journal Environmental Research: Climate reveals that 85% of Atlantic hurricanes in the last five years intensified due to climate change, increasing wind speeds by an average of thirty kilometers (or nineteen miles) per hour. Researchers linked this escalation to rising sea surface temperatures, which led to five catastrophic Category 5 storms: Lorenzo, Ian, Lee, Milton, and Beryl. Hurricane Helene, part of the devastating twenty twenty-four season, caused over 200 deaths and significant destruction.

Daniel Gilford, the lead researcher, emphasized the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions urgently, as the study highlights the undeniable role of human activity in amplifying hurricane intensity.

Still in the Atlantic. A recent incident in the Baltic Sea has raised concerns about undersea infrastructure security. On Monday the 18th, an undersea cable between Finland and Germany was cut, following another linking Sweden and Lithuania on the previous day. Authorities suspect the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3, which had recently left a Russian port, was involved. Boris Pistorius, the German Defense Minister, defined the episode as sabotage and hybrid aggression.

The Danish Navy followed the Yi Peng 3 as it sailed through the region, but no official blame has been placed yet. These events highlight the vulnerability of critical infrastructure like cables, pipelines, and wind farms to geopolitical threats. Swedish officials have urged citizens to stay alert, warning that such attacks are likely to continue.

Next up, the US Coast Guard Cutter Stratton recently concluded a 110-day Arctic patrol. Stratton navigated the Bering and Chukchi Seas, avoiding heavy ice areas as it is not designed to break through thick sea ice. The crew monitored two Russian surface action groups, including the first joint Russian-Chinese exercise near Alaska in early October. The cutter also boarded foreign vessels in Arctic waters to ensure compliance with safety and legal regulations.

This mission highlighted increased maritime activity in the Bering Strait, driven by crude oil and liquified natural gas transport, with over 400 vessels passing through annually. Captain Brian Krautler emphasized the will to maintain a US presence in challenging Arctic conditions, including introducing innovative refueling techniques for extended missions.

From one Pole to the other. A BBC article, published on Saturday the 23rd, reported that Anna Wåhlin’s team, which had returned to Antarctica to continue mapping the Dotson Ice Shelf, lost their submersible Ran, after only two dives.

The team's initial trip to Antarctica was in twenty twenty-two. Back then, Ran played a crucial role in exploring the underside of the Shelf, capturing the first-ever detailed images and enabling the team to map its features.

This time, the team believes that the submersible might have encountered curious Weddell seals, causing it to change course and eventually shut down to conserve energy. The submersible’s recovery, now stuck under the ice, seems unlikely. Despite this setback, Wåhlin's team intends to replace Ran and continue their research to better understand the ice shelf’s melting processes and its long-term impact.

In other news, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced a partnership with the ODISEA expedition on Monday the 18th, to strengthen marine conservation in the Western Indian Ocean. The collaboration aims to support the Great Blue Wall initiative, which works to protect and restore vital marine ecosystems that combat climate change and promote biodiversity recovery.

Aboard the S/Y ODISEA, the expedition will engage local researchers, communities, and government officials to explore seamounts, monitor biodiversity, and identify key habitats for endangered species. The team will also develop innovative financial strategies and share conservation success stories.

Let’s sail to the Suez Canal. On Tuesday the 19th, Admiral Ossama Rabiee, the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, confirmed the successful transit of the massive floating dock DOURADO, the largest transit ever in the Canal’s history. The 91,000-ton dock, which is ninety meters (or 295 feet) wide and 450 meters (or 1,476 feet) long, was towed through the Canal’s new waterway by two Singaporean tugs and guided by five tugs from the Suez Canal Authority.

The complex operation, which took almost twenty-four hours, required careful planning and coordination by a team of sixteen pilots and ten tug masters, following rigorous pre-transit inspections and simulation training. The successful operation highlights the Canal’s improved capacity, thanks to its recent expansion, which accommodates larger vessels.

From the Suez to the Panama Canal or, better said, its alternative. Mexico's Interoceanic Corridor aims to connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans through railways, highways, and ports, providing an alternative to the Panama Canal. This five billion US dollar project seeks to improve global trade, create jobs, and attract industries like technology and automotive to Special Economic Zones with tax incentives.

While promising economic benefits, the project faces challenges like protecting local ecosystems and Indigenous communities' livelihoods. Balancing development with sustainability will be essential as Mexico aims to become a major global trade hub.

Let’s sail to the Black Sea. On Monday the 18th, Mark Rutte, NATO’s Secretary General, met with Marcel Ciolacu, the Romanian Prime Minister, to discuss Black Sea security. The Black Sea, strategically positioned between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, has become a focal point for NATO’s eastern defenses.

Rutte emphasized Romania's role in securing the region, especially its contributions to NATO’s defense posture, including its support for Ukraine. Romania’s role is crucial in ensuring safe maritime routes and countering threats in the Black Sea, particularly Russian aggression that has led to violations of NATO airspace through drones and missiles. As a result, NATO is strengthening its air defenses and reinforcing its military presence in the region to secure the maritime environment.

And to wrap up this edition, a new study published in the journal Nature on Monday the 18th revealed how the Mediterranean Sea lost up to 70% of its water during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, which took place five million years ago, transforming it into a vast salt basin.

Researchers identified two phases of this dramatic event. In the first phase, over 35,000 years, salt accumulated in the eastern Mediterranean as its outflow to the Atlantic narrowed. The second phase saw rapid evaporation across the entire basin in less than 10,000 years. This massive water loss reshaped the region, affecting land ecosystems, triggering localized volcanic activity, and altering global climate patterns. During the study, the scientists used chlorine isotope analysis from Mediterranean seabed salt.

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

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